NATO approves ambitious defense plans

At a summit in Vilnius on Tuesday, the leaders of the North Atlantic Alliance agreed on new ambitious defense plans that reflect the need to combat threats such as Russia and terrorism.

This was announced by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, a correspondent of Yevropeiska Pravda reports.

As Stoltenberg announced, NATO members have approved "the most comprehensive defense plans since the Cold War to combat the two key threats we face: Russia and terrorism".

"Under the new plans, NATO aims to deploy 300,000 troops on high alert, including naval and air forces," he emphasized.

According to the NATO Secretary General, in order to implement the defense plans, NATO leaders also approved a new action plan to increase defense production and pledged to spend at least 2% of GDP per year on defense.

For decades, NATO did not see the need for large-scale defense plans, as it fought small wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and believed that post-Soviet Russia did not pose an existential threat to the Alliance.

But Russia's war against Ukraine has made NATO realize that it needs to have defense plans in place long before a conflict with an adversary like Moscow could break out.

Author - Olena Madiak, 11/07/2023