NATO activates nuke deterrent; urges China to abstain from supporting Russian invasion

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has urged China along with other states against helping Russia “in any way” as Moscow continues to wage war on Ukraine. At the extraordinary NATO leaders’ summit in Brussels, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday noted that the alliance has activated chemical, biological, and nuclear defence elements considering that Russia did not rule out the possibility of using nuclear weapons or biological weapons in Ukraine. 

Speaking at the NATO summit, Stoltenberg said, “We call on all states, including the People’s Republic of China (PRC), to uphold the international order" and and urged Beijing to "abstain from supporting Russia’s war effort in any way, and to refrain from any action that helps Russia circumvent sanctions.”

“We are concerned by recent public comments by PRC officials and call on China to cease amplifying the Kremlin’s false narratives, in particular on the war and on NATO, and to promote a peaceful resolution to the conflict,” he also said.

Moscow announced its invasion of Ukraine on February 24 and since then Russian forces have tirelessly appeared to attack its neighbouring country. However, as the support of the international community mainly lies with Kyiv and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensklyy, Ukraine's strong and unprecedented defence against Russian forces have stalled the ‘enemy’ forces for 30 days now. Russia and Ukraine have continued peace talks but there is no ceasefire agreement in sight.

While Ukraine is still not a NATO member, the president of the war-torn nation had addressed the alliance’s leaders in Brussels via video link. In the wake of Russia's military aggression, Stoltenberg also underscored that NATO has activated defence plans, “deployed elements of the NATO Response Force, and placed 40,000 troops on our eastern flank, along with significant air and naval assets, under direct NATO command supported by Allies’ national deployments.”

"In light of the gravest threat to Euro-Atlantic security in decades, we will also significantly strengthen our longer term deterrence and defence posture and will further develop the full range of ready forces and capabilities necessary to maintain credible deterrence and defence," NATO chief added.

NATO established four new battle groups

Earlier, NATO's Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that the group would deploy four new battle groups across Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia as part of its response to the Russian unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. Stoltenberg told the journalists, “I expect leaders will agree to strengthen NATO's posture in all domains with major increases of forces in the eastern part of the alliance, on land, in the air, and at sea. The first step is the deployment of four new NATO battle groups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, and Slovakia”. 

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