NATO Secretary General to meet with EU defense ministers

Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary of General of NATO, will meet informally with the Ministers of Defense of the European Union today.

With 21 members in common, the EU and NATO work closely across most security matters, and over the past decade especially have focused on strengthening cooperation in cybersecurity, intelligence and counter-terror operations. Many of the common challenges both groups face right now come from Eastern Europe, including the recent build up Russian troops near Ukraine and what increasingly looks like a migration crises on the Belarus-Poland border.

The meeting itself will likely focus on current events and geopolitical trends of significance to both NATO and the EU. While concrete policy is unlikely to come from the meeting, expect discussion of the EU-NATO response to the situation in Poland and for concrete action to be taken in the coming months. Also expect pressure from Stoltenberg for further EU cooperation with Ukraine –especially in security but across the board as well. Looking further, if the EU and NATO are able to respond well to these challenges, they also may be able to slow or stop the shift of Eastern European countries away from the West towards partners like Russia.