NATO foreign ministers to discuss measures to address coronavirus threat
The foreign ministers of NATO’s 30 countries will meet today to discuss the best course of action to address the COVID-19 global pandemic.
NATO’s primary raison d’etre is to defend Western liberal democracies against the aggression of hegemonic competitors, namely Russia. But some foreign ministers are calling for a paradigmatic shift that entails reducing activity in forward defence against Russia in Ukraine and redistributing resources to respond to the civilian health crisis.
Regardless, the meeting will likely finalise support packages for Ukraine as well as Georgia. Armed troops have already been supporting civilians in the region by facilitating transport and setting up field hospitals for treatment.
As a result, NATO will inevitably have to give up some ground in the Baltics and Belarus in exchange for increased stability in the Caucasus and Ukraine. Expect the Russian response to resemble an increased effort to pull the Russian-energy-dependent Baltics further from NATO. The Kremlin is likely to spread disinformation—particularly damaging given the importance of community knowledge regarding COVID-19—to sow division and instability in the neighbouring Baltic states.
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