Nato summit to focus on IS, Russian aggression, Afghan war
Source: SOFIA GLOBE / VOA
On the heels of a U.S. announcement to keep 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, NATO leaders will meet in Warsaw Friday and Saturday to discuss three key security topics: continuing support for Afghan forces, defeating Islamic State militants on NATO’s southern flank and deterring Russian aggression on the alliance’s eastern flank.
“Let’s be blunt: Alliances don’t have a choice. They have to walk and chew gum. You don’t prioritize key threats; you have to deal with all of them,” Anthony Cordesman of the Center for Strategic and International Studies told VOA ahead of the summit.
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Russian aggression
Russia’s annexation of Ukraine’s Crimea peninsula, along with its continued support for separatists in Ukraine’s east, have increased NATO’s need to reassure its eastern allies and also take steps to deter further Russian aggression.
“I think one of the greatest keys to deterrence, what would really deter those who would seek to bring pressure on our alliance, is that our entire alliance – the force structure that we already have – becomes more ready and more responsive,” said retired General Philip Breedlove, the former NATO Supreme Allied Commander Europe. He was speaking at an event in Washington last week hosted by the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Read more: http://sofiaglobe.com/2016/07/08/nato-summit-to-focus-on-is-russian-aggression-afghan-war/
