The US-led NATO bloc is weighing options to reinforce its “deterrence and defense,” including the creation of new battle groups in eastern Europe, the bloc’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday. Stoltenberg, who was speaking after a meeting of NATO defense ministers, has also lamented that “using force” is now “the new normal in Europe.”
“Ministers decided to develop options for further strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defense,” Stoltenberg said, adding that it includes them mulling over “establishing new NATO battlegroups in central and eastern, south-eastern Europe.”
France has already volunteered to “lead such a battlegroup in Romania,” the Secretary General revealed. “Our military commanders will now work on the details and report back within weeks,” Stoltenberg added.
The official blamed the need for further military buildup in the bloc’s eastern flank on Russia’s actions. The ongoing standoff between Moscow and the West centered around Ukraine “has already demonstrated we face a crisis in European security,” he claimed.