A view of the North Atlantic Council (NAC) meeting at the Foreign Ministers level gathered at NATO Headquarters in Brussels, March 4, 2022.
Olivier Douliery | Reuters
Heads of state representing the 30 NATO member states are discussing a face-to-face meeting in Brussels next week as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine reaches the alliance’s doorstep with missiles fired just a few miles from the border. Poland several miles away, according to US and foreign officials.
The meeting, which the coalition has described as “unusual” because it does not fall outside of the regularly scheduled skirmishes, will accompany the White House’s tentative plans for the President. Joe Biden travel to Europe.
These officials said President Biden’s trip and the NATO meeting are not yet finalized.
The meeting will be a high-level show of force for NATO countries, which have built stronger ties in response to Russia’s unprovoked attack on neighboring Ukraine. The US has vowed to protect the entire alliance, even in the event of an accidental fire.
National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said in an interview on “Face the Nation” on Sunday: “The United States will work with our allies to defend every inch of NATO territory, and that’s it. means every inch”. “And if there is a military attack on NATO territory, it will lead to the application of Article 5 and we will bring the entire force of the NATO alliance to respond to it.”
In recent weeks, Sullivan and Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Department of Defense. General Lloyd Austin and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark Milley have visited Europe for bilateral meetings aimed at cementing ties as the Russian offensive intensifies.
NATO defense ministers are scheduled to meet on Wednesday
