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16 Feb 2022, 18:25

NATO defense ministers decide to deploy new combat group in Romania

When asked about the battle group’s configuration, numbers and deployment timeframe, Stoltenberg said that no final decision has been made yet

BRUSSELS, February 16. /TASS/. NATO Defense Ministers made a decision to deploy a new combat group in Romania, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference after the first day of the Defense Ministers’ meeting in Brussels.

"Today, ministers decided to develop options to further strengthen NATO’s deterrence and defense, including to consider establishing new NATO battle groups in Central, Eastern and Southeastern Europe. And I welcomed the offer by France to lead such battle group in Romania," he said.

When asked about the battle group’s configuration, numbers and deployment timeframe, Stoltenberg said that no final decision has been made yet, adding that Romania stated its readiness to accommodate the NATO battle group, France stated its readiness to lead it, and that NATO is currently expecting recommendations from military staffs.

Earlier, NATO sources said that the battle group in Romania will be roughly the same as similar groups deployed in the Baltics and in Poland. These are multi-national battalion battle groups up to one thousand servicemen. Each group is led by a particular NATO country, which also sends the largest contingent to the group.