NATO Defence Ministers “met with our close partners Ukraine and Georgia; we addressed the continued threat of Russian aggression, the deteriorating security situation in the Black Sea region, and NATO’s strong political and practical support for both countries,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.
“Allies confirmed that NATO’s door remains open; any decision on NATO membership is for NATO Allies and aspirant countries to take; nobody else,” he added. “NATO Allies restated their strong support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of both Georgia and Ukraine. We cannot accept a return to an age of spheres of influence, where big powers bully, intimidate, or dictate to others. There can be no decisions about Ukraine without Ukraine; and no decisions about Georgia without Georgia,” the Secretary General highlighted.
In the final session of this ministerial, NATO Defence Ministers also met with the Defence Ministers of Finland and Sweden and with the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission.
NATO considering new battlegroups in eastern Europe after ‘no sign’ of Russian de-escalation
