NATO to Set up Units in Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary - White House

NATO leaders on Thursday agreed to bolster defenses, particularly in Eastern Europe, and will deploy four new combat units in Slovakia, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, the Whiite House said in a statement.

NATO leaders will also develop plans for additional forces and capabilities before their June summit, President Joe Biden said during his trip to Europe to address Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

"We had the privilege of hearing directly from President Zelenskyy, and we will continue to support him and his government with significant, and increasing, amounts of security assistance to fight Russian aggression and uphold their right to self-defense," Biden said in a statement.

In the past few weeks, the U.S. has announced $1 billion in new security assistance to Ukraine — anti-aircraft systems, anti-armor weapons, drones, and millions of rounds of ammunition.

"I welcome the steps by many other Allies to provide defensive support to Ukraine and together, we are committed to identifying additional equipment, including air defense systems, to help Ukraine."

The leaders also discussed our work to bolster NATO’s collective defense, particularly on the Eastern flank.

NATO, Biden notes, "is as strong and united as it has ever been".

Immediately after Russia’s further invasion of Ukraine, we activated NATO’s defensive plans and the NATO Response Force. The United States has surged thousands of forces and additional capabilities to Europe, and we have welcomed the new deployments made by our Allies.

"Between now and the NATO summit in June, we will develop plans for additional forces and capabilities to strengthen NATO’s defenses. We will adopt an updated Strategic Concept to ensure NATO is ready to meet any challenge in the new and more dangerous security environment" - Biden noted.

Alex Raufoglu

Washington D.C.