US President Joe Biden welcomed a decision Friday to activate land, sea and air elements of NATO’s Response Force for the first time in the collective defense history.
“I strongly welcome the decision to activate NATO’s defensive plans and elements of the NATO Response Force to strengthen our collective posture, as well as the commitments by our Allies to deploy additional land and air forces to the eastern flank and maritime forces from the High North to the Mediterranean,” Biden said, according to a White House statement.
Biden’s remarks came after NATO leaders agreed to continue supporting Ukraine, as well as Georgia, Moldova and Bosnia and Herzegovina as Russia’s military intervention in Ukraine entered a second day Friday, with the latest reports indicating that Russian troops were heading toward the capital, Kyiv, from several directions.
“Today I met with fellow leaders from our NATO Allies to discuss our shared commitment to collective defense and Transatlantic security,” he said. “As President (Vladimir) Putin threatens the very foundations of international peace and security, NATO is once again demonstrating that it stands for freedom and democracy.”
Reiterating that the US will “defend every inch of NATO territory,” Biden said: “Our commitment to Article 5 is ironclad. I have ordered the deployment of additional forces to augment our capabilities in Europe to support our NATO Allies.”
Noting that “close partners Sweden, Finland, and the European Union,” have joined together, he said: “President Putin has failed in his goal of dividing the West.”
“NATO is as united and resolute as it’s ever been, and NATO will maintain its Open Door to those European states who share our values and who one day may seek to join our Alliance,” he noted.
“As we navigate this crisis, we pledged to work even more closely together in our defense of freedom and the democratic values that imbue our Alliance with purpose and power,” he added.
Following Friday’s NATO summit, Biden said he also spoke with Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
“I commended the brave actions of the Ukrainian people who were fighting to defend their country,” he said. “I also conveyed ongoing economic, humanitarian, and security support being provided by the United States as well as our continued efforts to rally other countries to provide similar assistance.”
Putin ordered the military intervention Thursday, days after recognizing two separatist-held enclaves in eastern Ukraine.
He claimed that Moscow had no plan to occupy the neighboring country but wanted to “demilitarize” and “denazify” Ukraine.
Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to install a puppet government and said Ukrainians will defend their country against Russian aggression.
Tensions started escalating late last year when Ukraine, the US, and its allies accused Russia of amassing nearly 150,000 troops on the border with Ukraine.
They claimed Russia was preparing to invade its western neighbor, allegations consistently rejected by Moscow.