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NATO will be sending additional troops to Eastern Europe amid Russia's ongoing assault on Ukraine.
Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday the alliance will double the number of deployed troops and send them to Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria and Slovakia. He will be making further announcements Thursday about reinforcing the alliance's eastern flank, NPR journalist Teri Schultz said on Twitter.
NATO armed forces have been providing humanitarian aid to Ukraine's bordering countries while closely monitoring Russia's military activities. Member nations have imposed harsh economic sanctions on Russia but are avoiding any military action to prevent triggering the NATO treaty's Article 5, which states that an attack against one of the allies is considered an attack on the entire alliance.
During a press conference Wednesday ahead of Thursday's NATO summit, Stoltenberg addressed the military conflict in Ukraine and said he expects allies to provide more defense equipment to the country. He added that NATO would provide additional support to Ukraine to prepare for the possibility of a chemical or biological weapons attack by Russia.
"Russia should stop this dangerous, irresponsible nuclear rhetoric," Stoltenberg said on Wednesday, according to Reuters. "But let there be no doubt about our readiness to protect and defend allies against any threat anytime."
However, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of Poland's ruling party, has asked for NATO peacekeepers to be sent to Ukraine. During a March 15 press conference, he said it's necessary to have a peacekeeping mission that will be able to defend itself while operating on Ukraine's territory.
"It will be a mission that will strive for peace, to give humanitarian aid, but at the same time it will also be protected by appropriate forces, armed forces," Kaczynski said.
Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday that such a mission would be "reckless" and an "extremely dangerous decision." In addition, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that a "direct clash" between NATO and Russian armed forces "should not take place in principle."
"Any possible confrontation between our troops and NATO forces could have clear consequences that would be hard to repair," Peskov told reporters on Wednesday.
Poland said it would submit a formal proposal for the mission at Thursday's NATO summit. It's unclear how other members will react to the proposal, as Stoltenberg said on Wednesday that NATO is not a part of the conflict in Ukraine, according to Reuters.
Stoltenberg added that while the alliance is not sending troops into Ukraine, it is stepping up its support for the country. At the same time, he said, it's important that the conflict does not become a "full-fledged war between NATO and Russia."
Update 3/23/22, 10:35 a.m. ET: This story was updated with additional information and background.
