NATO to beef up forces on its eastern flank
A handout photo made available by the Latvian Defence Ministry shows the first 40 soldiers of the 173rd U.S. Army Airborne Brigade after stepping off a military plane in Latvia, Thursday. The United States committed to defend NATO allies and strengthen Latvia's defense capabilities following Russia's military operation in Ukraine. EPA-Yonhap
NATO has agreed to beef up its land, sea and air forces on its eastern flank near Ukraine and Russia after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered a military offensive in Ukraine.
NATO ambassadors said in a statement after emergency talks Thursday that “we have increased the readiness of our forces to respond to all contingencies.”
While some of NATO's 30 member countries are supplying arms, ammunition and other equipment to Ukraine, NATO as an organization is not. It will not launch any military action in support of Ukraine.
Countries closest to the conflict - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland - are among those to have triggered rare consultations under Article 4 of NATO's founding treaty, which can be launched when “the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the (NATO) parties is threatened.”
“We have decided, in line with our defensive planning to protect all allies, to take additional steps to further strengthen deterrence and defense across the Alliance,” the envoys said in a statement. “Our measures are and remain preventive, proportionate and non-escalatory.” (AP)