NATO leaders are expected to agree at an emergency summit on Thursday to boost the alliance’s military presence in eastern Europe due to Russia’s war on Ukraine, Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says.Ahead of the meeting, Stoltenberg told reporters at a news conference in Brussels on Wednesday that he expects the allies to sign off on the deployment of four new battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.“I expect leaders will agree to strengthen NATO’s posture in all domains, with major increases in the eastern part of the alliance on land, in the air and at sea,” he said.
NATO summit a chance to bolster Ukraine response, experts say. Here’s what to expect The new multinational battlegroups come on top of four existing combat units with roughly 5,000 troops operating in three Baltic states and Poland.
They were deployed after Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014.Furthermore, the Russia’s war shows NATO must readjust its deterrence and defence posture for the long term, an issue the allies are expected to discuss at their next regular summit in June.“The decisions we take tomorrow will have far reaching implications.
Major reinforcements to our security will require major investments in defence,” Stoltenberg said.“So I expect our allies will agree to redouble their efforts to invest more.