Brussels, NATO defense ministers gathered today for talks focusing on bolstering forces and deterrence along the military alliance’s eastern borders.

The Ukrainian crisis since February has led allies to rethink strategies and to agree that NATO forces should be present in greater numbers on that flank. They have already beefed up the deployment of troops and material and want to guarantee a long-term presence of forces.

In response to the invasion of Ukraine, NATO said it has placed over 40,000 troops under its direct command, mainly on the eastern flank.

NATO secretary general Jens Stoltenberg said allies will take decisions on the scale of their posture for the longer term “to ensure that we can defend every inch of Allied territory.”

The meeting of defense ministers came ahead of 29-30 June NATO summit in Madrid that will seek to set a determined course for the alliance in coming years.

Source: Oman News Agency