NATO ministers meet to prepare summit, Afghan withdrawal

NATO's foreign and defense ministers will be meeting to lay the groundwork for the military alliance's first summit with U.S. President Joe Biden

BRUSSELS -- NATO's foreign and defense ministers were meeting Tuesday to lay the groundwork for the military alliance's first summit with U.S. President Joe Biden, setting aside four tumultuous years with the Trump administration. The ministers will discuss a hefty communique being drafted for the June 14 summit in Brussels, which will reaffirm the unity of the 30-nation security alliance — which has been riven by infighting in recent years — and focus on future threats and challenges. “This is a pivotal moment for our alliance, and our collective security,” NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on the eve of the meetings. “In a more competitive and unpredictable world, we need transatlantic unity.” Chief among the challenges is dealing with an increasingly aggressive Russia, whose defense minister announced Monday that Russia would establish 20 new military units in its western sector this year to counter what it claims is a growing threat from NATO.