NATO leaders conclude a three-day meeting in Madrid on Thursday, the Western security alliance strengthens defenses against Russia's invasion, and raises global challenges for China. And invited the neutral countries Finland and Sweden to the group.
US President Joe Biden described the summit as "historic."
"NATO last drafted a new mission statement 12 years ago," Biden said with reference to a document also known as the Alliance's strategic concept.
"At that time, it characterized Russia as a partner and did not mention China. Since then, the world has changed, it has changed a lot, and NATO has changed. This summit So we have rallyed an alliance to address both the direct threat Russia poses to Europe and the systematic challenges China poses to the rule-based world order, and two new members to NATO. I invited you, "said Byden.
Biden reiterated that Russia's President Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine only strengthened NATO.
"He tried to weaken us and expected us to break, but he got exactly what he didn't want." Biden said. "He wanted NATO's" Finnishization. " He got Finland's "NATO".
On Wednesday, Putin rejected the imminent expansion of the Western Union.
"Sweden and Finland are not as problematic as Ukraine. They want to join NATO, go ahead," Putin told Russian state television. He warned.
As the expansion began, NATO leaders agreed to significantly increase the deployment of troops across Europe. From next year, 300,000 to protect against potential Moscow military attacks on members of the alliance that Secretary-General Jens Stoltemberg has characterized as "the most serious security crisis" since World War II. Human soldiers are highly prepared throughout the continent.
To strengthen NATO's defenses, the United States also established a permanent headquarters for the US Fifth Corps in Poland, with an army of 3,000 and others of 2,000. We are planning to add a rotating brigade. Employees are headquartered in Romania and send two brigades of F-35 fighters to the United Kingdom.
Reaffirming the commitments of other Western leaders, Biden said the United States would firmly confront Russia's aggression. He showed little sign that the conflict would end soon, suggesting that Americans would have to endure higher gas prices longer.
"Russia cannot actually defeat Ukraine and move beyond Ukraine as long as it is necessary," he said.
China's Challenge
The Biden Summit gathers "democratic allies and partners from the Atlantic and Pacific" and "abuse and compulsory trade practices" He said he would protect the rule-based world order against challenges from China, including.
NATO leaders also called for a "deepening of strategic partnership" between Beijing and Moscow as one of the alliance's concerns.
Beijing has not provided military support for Russia's Ukrainian war, but Chinese leader Xi Jinping has expressed support for Moscow on the issue of "sovereignty and security." The country continues to buy large quantities of Russia's oil, gas and coal.
Beijing is the first in the history of the Transatlantic Alliance to attend the Asia Summit with leaders from the Pacific countries of Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea.
Many people are participating because of the re-emergence of conflicts between the great powers, the existence of strategic competitors in each region, and the development of relations between Russia and China. Milna Garrick, senior policy analyst for China and East Asia at the US Peace Institute, described common challenges that European and Asia-Pacific partners must discuss together. International norms that require new ideas such as intermediate-range nuclear forces, missile defense, inter-theater deterrence and defense, as well as working dy in cyber defense, ocean security, space, etc. Use of the power of a great power to violate.
"The last is certainly related to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, but it is similar to China and Taiwan, which is why Ukraine is considered more than a security issue in Europe." Garrick said.
In the final remarks of the NATO summit, Biden also touted China's latest Western counter to the Trillions of Dollar Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
"We also launched something that started with the concept of Build Back Better, but it turned into a partnership for global infrastructure and investment," he announced in 2021. He mentioned the "Build Back Better World" initiative. A group of seven leaders meeting in Cornwall, England, reopened as PGII at the G-7 Summit in Krün, Germany, earlier this week.
Authorities say PGII will provide $ 600 billion in infrastructure funding to developing countries by 2027, a better alternative to China's BRI, which critics have characterized as "debt trap diplomacy." It states that it will be.