Stoltenberg: russia’s aggression against Ukraine is NATO’s “most urgent” threat

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called russia's aggression against Ukraine "the most urgent" threat facing the Alliance. He noted that in NATO's new Strategic Concept, russia would be called the biggest and most direct threat to Allied security.

The head of the Alliance spoke about this today during a round table held under the auspices of the European media outlet Politico on the eve of the Madrid NATO summit, Ukrinform reports.

The full recording of the event is published on the NATO website.

"I expect this summit in Madrid to be a transformation summit because we are in a crucial period for our security. putin's war against Ukraine is the most urgent threat we face. It has disrupted peace in Europe. At the same time, we must not forget about other challenges to our security, " Stoltenberg said.

Among such challenges, he mentioned increased competition between democracy and totalitarianism, terrorism, nuclear proliferation, cyber attacks, and climate change.

All these challenges, including russia, will be reflected in NATO's new Strategic Concept.

"We will agree (during the summit – ed.) on a new strategic concept for NATO to provide action guidance in a new security environment that has undergone radical changes. I expect that Strategic Concept 2022 will identify russia as the biggest and most direct threat to our security, " said the NATO Secretary General.

He noted that this reflects dramatic changes compared to the previous Strategic Concept, which was adopted in Lisbon in November 2010. In that document, russia was mentioned as a "strategic partner" for the Alliance.

russia's aggression against Ukraine, which began in 2014 and has now turned into a full-scale war, has radically changed the security situation in Europe and the world.