US to boost military presence in Europe after Putin ‘shattered peace’
Madrid, Jun 29 (EFE).- The United States will boost its military presence in Europe after Russia’s leader Vladimir Putin “shattered” peace on the continent, president Joe Biden said Wednesday at the start of a Nato summit in Madrid.
“We are going to send 2 additional F-35 squadrons to the UK and station additional air defense and other capabilities in Germany and in Italy,” Biden said during a meeting with Nato’s secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg just before Nato leaders began discussions.
Biden said the US would establish a permanent base for the 5th Army Corps in Poland and continue to rotate some 5,000 US troops in the Baltics.
“Together with our allies we are going to make sure that Nato is ready to meet threats from all directions across every domain, land, air and the sea,” Biden said.
“In a moment that Putin has shattered peace in Europe and attacked the very tenants of rule-based order, the United States and our allies, we are going to step up, we are stepping up,” he added.
“We are proving that Nato is more needed now than it ever has been and is more important than it ever has been.”
“Putin is looking for the finalization of Europe and he gets the Nato-isation of Europe and that is exactly what he didn’t want but exactly what needs to be done, guaranteed security for Europe,” he said.
Stoltenberg welcomed Biden’s announcements to boost military presence in Europe and said that it demonstrated the president’s “decisive leadership in strengthening the trans-Atlantic bond.”
“We also see that in the unwavering support from you and the United States to Ukraine,” the Nato chief added.
He concurred with Biden that Russia’s president Vladimir Putin’s plans had backfired.
“President Putin will get more Nato with Finland and Sweden joining our alliance,” he said.
Spain is hosting what has widely been described as a historic summit for Nato in the wake of Russia’s bloody invasion of Ukraine.
In Madrid, where the summit is being held amid tight security at the Ifema convention center, Nato leaders will thrash out the next strategic concept, a security roadmap that will act as a guide for the alliance over the next 10 years.
The plight of Ukraine is set to dominate the agenda during the summit between Wednesday and Thursday but Nato leaders and partners will also discuss security threats on the alliance’s southern flank as well as challenges arising from China’s growing influence in the Pacific region and beyond. EFE
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