NATO announces massive increase in high-readiness forces as Russian military pushes further into eastern Ukraine
CBSN
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announced Monday, ahead of of a gathering of NATO leaders in Madrid on Tuesday, that the alliance's high-readiness forces will significantly increase to over 300,000 from 40,000, and that more troops will be sent to the member countries bordering Russia.
The nearly eightfold increase comes amid Moscow's continuing invasion of Ukraine, where Russian forces have pushed deeper into the eastern Donbas region and are poised to make additional gains.
Over the weekend, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed Western leaders who had gathered for the G7 summit in Munich, Germany, renewing requests for heavier weaponry to confront Russia's forces, including anti-aircraft defense systems. In a virtual address, Zelenskyy said he wanted to end the war by the end of 2022.
