BRUSSELS (Washington Insider Magazine) – Russia has begun a war on Ukraine, according to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, which destroyed peace on the European continent.
NATO leaders will meet on Friday, according to Stoltenberg. He spoke immediately after the trans-Atlantic coalition decided to strengthen its land, air, and sea capabilities on its eastern frontier, bordering Ukraine and Russia, following emergency discussions.
On Thursday, Russia started a broad invasion of Ukraine, striking cities and sites with shelling and airstrikes. According to ABC NEWS, Ukraine’s government stated Russian troops and tanks poured across the border, accusing Moscow of launching a full-scale war.
Poland, Latvia, Estonia, and Lithuania, the nations nearest to the crisis, sought emergency talks under Article 4 of NATO’s founding charter, which can be initiated when any of the (NATO) states’ political independence, territorial integrity, or sovereignty is threatened.
In reaction to Russia’s invasion, Lithuania proclaimed a state of emergency in a proclamation signed by President Gitanas Nauseda. In an emergency session later Thursday, the Baltic nation’s parliament was poised to accept the bill.
The policy, which is in place until March 10, provides more flexibility in the use of national reserve funds and strengthened border security by providing border guards additional authority to stop and search vehicles and people in border zones.
Lithuania is bordered on the southwest by Russia’s Kaliningrad area, on the south by Poland, on the north by Latvia, and on the east by Belarus.
Even though some of NATO’s 30 member nations are providing Ukraine with weapons, ammunition, as well as other equipment, NATO as a whole is not. It will not take military action to defend Ukraine, which is a strong ally but has little chance of joining the EU.
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas has urged for actions to ensure NATO Allies’ defense.
After Russia acquired Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014, NATO started ramping up its defenses in northern Europe. It has over 5,000 soldiers and equipment deployed there, but in recent months, those forces have been bolstered by troops and weapons from many countries.
The NATO Response Team, which may contain up to 40,000 personnel, might be activated as a first move. The NRF’s swiftly deployed land brigade — made up of roughly 5,000 troops and led by France in collaboration with Germany, Spain, Poland, and Portugal — is already on high alert.
Some NATO states have also dispatched soldiers, vessels, and planes to the Black Sea area, where they will be stationed near NATO allies Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria. The Pentagon has also placed up to 8,500 American soldiers on high alert, ready to deploy if necessary to reassure other partners.