NATO foreign ministers held an emergency meeting in Brussels on Friday to discuss the escalation of the crisis in Ukraine.
This meeting was joined by the Foreign Ministers of Finland and Sweden and the High Representative of the European Union (EU). Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba addressed his colleagues with a video message, in which he described the deteriorating humanitarian situation in his country.
The ministers condemned Russia’s brutal and unprovoked invasion of Ukraine and expressed solidarity and support for the courage of the Ukrainian people and armed forces, a NATO statement stated.
In addition to the thousands of troops already sent by the Allies to the eastern part of the Alliance, NATO is deploying its response forces for the first time, with over 130 high-alert aircraft and over 200 ships from the far north to the Mediterranean.
”We will continue to do what is necessary to protect and defend every inch of NATO territory,” said Secretary-General Stoltenberg.
The foreign ministers also discussed the need to support partners who could be at risk of moving war from Ukraine, including Georgia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH).
”NATO does not want a war with Russia. The Kremlin’s ambition is to re-establish its sphere of interest and deny other countries the right to choose their own path. Therefore, NATO must support Georgia and BiH, countries that are at risk. This war has established a new normal for our security. We must avoid conflict in the years to come. There is a lot at stake. Whether democracy or an authoritarian regime will prevail is also a question of what kind of world we want to live in,” said the NATO Secretary-General.
”We are not part of this conflict,” Stoltenberg said, adding, however, that NATO has a “responsibility to ensure that it does not escalate or spread beyond Ukraine. That would be even more devastating and dangerous.”
The meeting was an opportunity for ministers to address the long-term implications of Russia’s aggression on Euro-Atlantic security.
The Secretary-General reiterated that “Russia’s aggression has created a new reality for our security, where basic principles are challenged through the use of force.”
In this new reality, ministers agreed that NATO’s relations with Russia have changed fundamentally and in the long run, but remain committed to keeping diplomatic channels open to avoid any unintentional escalation, misunderstanding, or misjudgment.
E.Dz.
Source: BHRT
