NATO orders its commanders to prepare to defend allied territory after Russia invades Ukraine


NATO has ordered its commanders to prepare to defend allied territory after Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, putting hundreds of warplanes and ships on alert.

The order to intensify military preparations to defend NATO territory comes after the alliance agreed to increase troop numbers on its eastern flank.  

NATO’s order came as world leaders decried the start of the invasion that could cause massive casualties, topple Ukraine’s democratically elected government and threaten the post-Cold War balance. 

The alliance’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he had convened a virtual emergency summit of the NATO’s 30 nations for Friday.

The summit is set to include U.S. President Joe Biden, and they would be joined by the leaders of Sweden, Finland and European Union institutions.

NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (pictured on Thursday) said he had convened a virtual emergency summit of the NATO's 30 nations for Friday

NATO’s Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (pictured on Thursday) said he had convened a virtual emergency summit of the NATO’s 30 nations for Friday

Russian forces invaded Ukraine by land, air and sea on Thursday, confirming the worst fears of the West with the biggest attack by one state against another in Europe since World War Two.

‘Peace on our continent has been shattered,’ Stoltenberg told a news conference. ‘Russia is using force to try to rewrite history, and deny Ukraine its free and independent path.’

The activation of NATO’s ‘graduated response plans’ is a rare step that Stoltenberg said underscored the gravity of a ‘full-fledged invasion’ of Ukraine, giving allied commanders greater scope for decision-making.

‘This is a deliberate, cold-blooded and long-planned invasion,’ Stoltenberg said. ‘Russia’s unjustified, unprovoked attack on Ukraine is putting countless innocent lives at risk with air and missile attacks.’

Ukraine is not a member of the alliance and Stoltenberg said there were no NATO troops in the country. ‘What we do is defensive,’ he said.

But NATO is now set to step up its plans to deploy capabilities and forces, including the high combat-readiness NATO Response Force, to eastern European countries.

Ukrainian Military Forces servicemen block a road in the so-called government quarter in Kyiv on February 24, 2022 as Russia's ground forces invaded Ukraine from several directions today

Ukrainian Military Forces servicemen block a road in the so-called government quarter in Kyiv on February 24, 2022 as Russia’s ground forces invaded Ukraine from several directions today

A Russian Ka-52 helicopter gunship is seen in the field after a forced landing outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Russia on Thursday unleashed a barrage of air and missile strikes on Ukrainian facilities across the country

A Russian Ka-52 helicopter gunship is seen in the field after a forced landing outside Kyiv, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. Russia on Thursday unleashed a barrage of air and missile strikes on Ukrainian facilities across the country

Pictured: A map showing NATO's European allies. The eastern border of NATO runs down Ukraine's west, and in some cases - such as in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania - borders Russia

Pictured: A map showing NATO’s European allies. The eastern border of NATO runs down Ukraine’s west, and in some cases – such as in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania – borders Russia

NATO is also planning to create combat units in Romania and Bulgaria, and possibly Hungary and Slovakia – similar to those already set up in the Baltic states and Poland.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine appeared to galvanise support for such a step in Slovakia, with the Slovak government saying any new battlegroup plans would include Slovakia.

‘The unit will be made from countries that are geographically close to us. It will be about several hundred soldiers which will come with equipment that we don’t have and which will significantly increase our ability to defend our country,’ Slovak Defence Minister Jaroslav Nad said.

NATO had already reinforced its eastern flank facing Russia. President Vladimir Putin warned that any interference from other countries would lead to ‘consequences you have never seen in history.’ 

European Union and NATO member Lithuania declared a state of emergency since the Baltic nation borders Russia’s Kaliningrad region to the southwest and Russia’s ally Belarus to the east. 

NATO countries had 100 jets and 120 ships on high alert as a deterrent.

‘Make no mistake: We will defend every ally against any attack on every inch of NATO territory,’ said Stoltenberg.

US Army soldiers from 173rdAbnBde arrived in Latvia this morning, the first U.S. forces being re-positioned to the Baltics to bolster NATO's eastern flank

US Army soldiers from 173rdAbnBde arrived in Latvia this morning, the first U.S. forces being re-positioned to the Baltics to bolster NATO’s eastern flank

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen aid she would put to EU leaders late Thursday a proposal that would target strategic sectors of the Russian economy by blocking access to key technologies and markets

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen aid she would put to EU leaders late Thursday a proposal that would target strategic sectors of the Russian economy by blocking access to key technologies and markets

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Stoltenberg both called the invasion a ‘barbaric’ attack on an independent nation that threatened ‘the stability in Europe and the whole of the international peace order.’ 

The EU scheduled an emergency summit in Brussels.

But no one promised to move in militarily and defend Ukraine at the risk of touching off a bigger European war. Ukraine is not a NATO member, and the U.S. and its Western allies have said for weeks that they would not send troops into the country.

The goal instead is to make Moscow pay so high a price by other means that the Kremlin will change course.

‘Our mission is clear: Diplomatically, politically, economically and eventually militarily, this hideous and barbaric venture of Vladimir Putin must end in failure,’ said British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

Almost all of the world – but not China – condemned the attack and threatened to hit the Russian elites with, in the words of the EU president, ‘massive and targeted sanctions.’ 

Von der Leyen said she would put to EU leaders late Thursday a proposal that would target strategic sectors of the Russian economy by blocking access to key technologies and markets.

She said the sanctions, if approved, ‘will weaken Russia’s economic base and its capacity to modernize. And in addition, we will freeze Russian assets in the European Union and stop the access of Russian banks to European financial markets.’

‘We want to cut off Russia’s industry from the technologies desperately needed today to build the future,’ von der Leyen said.

She said all Western powers are in lockstep on the crisis.

NATO Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) battle groups from Estonia and United Kingdom during military training at Central Training Area on February 8, 2022 in Lasna, Estonia

NATO Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP) battle groups from Estonia and United Kingdom during military training at Central Training Area on February 8, 2022 in Lasna, Estonia

Canadian soldiers are pictured during a visit of Canada's Minister of Defence in Adazi, Latvia, on February 3, 2022

Canadian soldiers are pictured during a visit of Canada’s Minister of Defence in Adazi, Latvia, on February 3, 2022

U.S. President Joe Biden already convened a morning meeting of his National Security Council in Washington to assess the situation.

Highlighting a widening rift in superpower relations, China stood alone in failing to condemn the attack and instead accused the United States and its allies of worsening the crisis.

China went further and approved imports of wheat from Russia, a move that could reduce the impact of Western sanctions. Russia, one of the biggest wheat producers, would be vulnerable if foreign markets were closed off.

In a clear defense of Moscow, China ‘called on parties to respect others’ legitimate security concerns.’

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying said that ‘all parties should work for peace instead of escalating the tension or hyping up the possibility of war’ – language China has consistently used to criticize the West in the crisis.

One thing was clear: Weeks of diplomatic cajoling, global crisscrossing of leaders and foreign ministers, and the threat of sanctions against Putin’s inner circle had failed to persuade the Kremlin not to plunge Europe into one of its biggest crises since the end of the Cold War.

The turmoil set off by the attack rippled from Europe to Asia. Stock markets plunged, oil prices surged, and European aviation officials warned of the danger to civilian aircraft over Ukraine amid the fighting.

Oil prices climbed by more than $5 per barrel. Brent crude briefly jumped above $100 per barrel in London for the first time since 2014 over fears of a disruption of supplies from Russia, the No. 3 producer.

The possible repercussions extended well beyond economics and geopolitics.

The director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention worried that the crisis will further distract global attention from helping the world’s least vaccinated continent fight COVID-19.  

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