Against potential Russian aggression! NATO wants Europe to increase the number of air defense systems and ground combat

The North Atlantic Alliance is calling on European member states to significantly increase the number of ground air defense forces to prepare for potential Russian aggression, Bloomberg writes, citing sources.

The American agency's sources report that the Alliance has set a common goal for European members - to increase ground air defense forces fivefold. Individual levels of increase will be determined for each country separately, and the deadlines for this process have not been established.

The issue of ground-based air defense is expected to be discussed at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels on Thursday, the agency's sources added.

A senior European military official, who asked not to be named, told the American media that NATO members urgently need to increase ground-based air defense systems.

Over the past three decades, the Alliance has reduced the number of these systems as NATO's attention has shifted from the Cold War to threats in the Middle East and North Africa, the source added.

The increase in the number of weapons is part of NATO's larger ambitions to increase defense spending.

Under pressure from US President Donald Trump, the Alliance is expected to approve a target of 5% of GDP, of which 3.5% of GDP would go directly to defence, and another 1.5% of GDP would go to defence-related spending, such as infrastructure, cyber defence and civil defence.