NATO member countries, meeting in Washington to celebrate the Alliance's 70th anniversary, agreed on Thursday 4 April to strengthen their actions against Russia.
The Allies have agreed on a set of measures to improve their security in the Black Sea region.
“We have agreed a package of measures to improve our situational awareness [in the Black Sea, editor's note]. And to step up our support for both Georgia and Ukraine. In areas such as the training of maritime forces and coast guards. Port visits and exercises. And sharing information”, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the media. In his view, this will strengthen the already close cooperation of the Allies. The Secretary General said that one of the Alliance's naval groups was already patrolling the Black Sea and training with Ukrainian and Georgian ships.
“We will maintain our focus and our presence in this vital region”, Stoltenberg warned.
The Secretary General also noted that the Allies had discussed Russia's “continued violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty [INF Treaty]”, with the deployment, including several SSC-8 missile battalions. “Russia's ongoing violation of the INF Treaty is a pattern of destabilising behaviour”, he said.
While the Allies have once again called on Moscow to return to full and verifiable compliance with the Treaty, “time is running out”, the Secretary General warned.
Meanwhile, he said, “NATO is preparing for a world without the INF Treaty” explaining that Alliance members had discussed “potential measures” that could be taken “should Russia not return into compliance”.
“We will not mirror what Russia is doing. We will be measured and coordinated. And we have no intention of deploying ground-launched nuclear missiles in Europe”, he reassured the audience. “At the same time, NATO will continue to maintain credible and effective deterrence and defence”, he added, adding that all allies were firmly committed to arms control and non-proliferation. Mr Stoltenberg also added that there was no contradiction between deterrence, defence and dialogue. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)