NATO allies have agreed on regional defense plans that detail how the alliance's nations would respond in the event of an attack by Russia or a terrorist organization. This was reported by Reuters , citing five diplomats, and the information is also provided by the German agency DPA , citing its sources.
Previously, Turkey blocked the approval of NATO regional plans due to language relating to geographic entities such as Cyprus. Now, however, Turkey has had to compromise, one diplomat told Reuters.
Against this background, NATO will increase military spending – according to Reuters, it is planned to make a minimum defense requirement of 2% of the country's GDP. NATO officials estimate that these plans will take several years to fully materialize, but if necessary, the alliance can "immediately go into battle."
As several diplomats told the German DPA, the plans detailed ways to rapidly build up troop presence on the ground and defend against possible sea, air, cyber and space attacks. The plans include not only the provision of the necessary forces and means, but also the command structure.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said last year that the response to Russian threats represented the largest reorganization of collective defense and deterrence since the Cold War, the agency notes. The new defense protocols are part of the alliance's efforts in recent years to bolster defenses and deterrence, escalated by Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. NATO Military Committee Chairman Rob Bauer said it was about recruiting more people, exercises, building up stockpiles, formations, purchasing equipment and manufacturing capacity.
The leaders of NATO member countries are gathering in Vilnius on July 11-12 for a summit where they will discuss questions of Sweden's membership and further relations of the alliance with Ukraine. On July 11, US President Joe Biden and Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky will meet at the summit. White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan has already said, citing Biden, that admitting Ukraine to NATO at the Vilnius summit "would lead to a war between NATO and Russia." In September 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that Kiev would apply to join NATO on an accelerated basis. According to him, the Ukrainian authorities proved to the alliance that the country meets its standards. He made a statement after the signing by Vladimir Putin of agreements on the accession of the "LDNR", Kherson and Zaporozhye regions to Russia.
