he NATO military alliance must turn its attention to securing its own territory in addition to focusing on its foreign missions, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said Monday during a visit to a tank brigade in northern Germany.
Speaking at a military training ground in Munster, the chancellor pledged to provide the necessary means for the German military to fulfill its NATO obligations as it faces challenges in Europe after deployments in locations like Afghanistan and Mali.
Merkel recalled Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014, which was the reason for setting up NATO's Very High Readiness Joint Task Force (VJTF).
"Given what we experienced at the time, a new situation has arisen that calls for defense of the alliance," Merkel said.
She noted that new Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy had made ending the war in the east of the country a top priority during his inaugural address on Monday.
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