MOSCOW, 9 Jan. The European Union and the North Atlantic Alliance plan to intensify cooperation due to the worsening Ukrainian crisis, AFP reported.
«NATO remains the backbone of Allied collective defense and is critical to Euro-Atlantic security. We recognize the value of a stronger and an effective European defense that makes a positive contribution to global and transatlantic security,” the joint statement says.
An agreement to strengthen ties between the two organizations will be signed on January 10 by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, European Council President Charles Michel and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
The document notes that NATO and the EU are committed to taking partnership to a new level, to mobilize all the tools at their disposal, be it political, economic and military, to achieve common goals.
Moscow has repeatedly noted that the West is aimed at conf rotation and expansion through the inclusion of new states in the North Atlantic Alliance and the destabilization of borders. According to the press secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov, NATO's actions will not bring greater security due to the aggressive foreign policy of the military bloc.