NATO Defence Ministers are meeting today (13 February 2019) to begin two days of talks on pressing security challenges, including Russia's violation of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. Ministers will discuss efforts to strengthen the Alliance's deterrence and defence, and review NATO missions in Afghanistan, Kosovo, Iraq and the maritime area. Burden-sharing and NATO-EU cooperation will also be high on the agenda.
Speaking just before the start of the meeting, NATO Secretary General, Jens Stotenberg, said the meeting will discuss a number of pressing security issues. "Among them is the INF Treaty. Russia continues to violate the INF Treaty by deploying new intermediate-range nuclear capable missiles, the SSC-8 missiles. These missiles are hard to detect, mobile and can reach European cities, so this is something which is of great concern for all of us. We will continue to call on Russia to come back into compliance with the INF Treaty."
Stoltenberg also confirmed that he will be meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Munich shortly.
source: commonspace.eu with nato.int
photo: NATO headquarters, Brussels (archive picture)
