Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance is ready to face any threat from Moscow or Minsk.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance he leads has strengthened its eastern flank after Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin reportedly relocated to Belarus.
Stoltenberg was reacting to the deal struck with Moscow to call off Prigozhin’s mercenaries’ march on the Russian capital after seizing military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a direct challenge to Vladimir Putin’s authority.
The Wagner Group has been key to Russia’s effort in its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, in particular the Donetsk city of Bakhmut. Prigozhin agreed to be exiled to Belarus, sparking concerns over whether his fighters would follow him and what impact this might have on Wagner, the war in Ukraine and stability in the region.
During a meeting in The Hague of eight NATO leaders, Stoltenberg said it was “too early” to judge Prigozhin’s move but that “we have sent a clear message” to Russia and Belarus that the alliance would “protect every ally and every inch of NATO territory.
