NATO makes plans to boost its military presence in eastern Europe as Ukraine war grinds on

NATO defence ministers have asked military commanders to draw up plans for a significantly larger long-term deployment of western forces in eastern Europe, the secretary general of the alliance said Wednesday. 

Jens Stoltenberg made the remarks at the end of a special ministerial meeting in Brussels which also included representatives of Sweden, Finland and Ukraine.

The plans, he said, will be discussed along with other developments in Russia's invasion of Ukraine by NATO leaders at an emergency meeting next week at alliance headquarters.

Final approval for the deployment — which is expected to send thousands more troops into the Baltic states, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania — will be sought at the annual meeting of NATO leaders in Madrid, Spain in June.

The secretary general also said that increases in deterrence and defence will "require major investments" and that allies "will need to invest a minimum of two per cent" of their gross domestic product in defence.

The note of urgency in Stolenberg's statement is significant because NATO nations committed in 2014 to coming up with plans to meet the benchmark. Canada currently spends 1.39 per cent of its GDP on the military and has no plan to hit the long-established two per cent target.

"We face a new reality for our security, so we must reset our collective defence and deterrence for the longer term," Stoltenberg said.

He said NATO military commanders were told Wednesday to develop "options across all domains. Land. Air. Sea. Cyber and space."

There are now 40,000 troops under direct NATO command in eastern Europe. Stoltenberg said the new plan should include "substantially more forces" on land "in the eastern part of the alliance at higher readiness, with more pre-positioned equipment and supplies."

WATCH: NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg says allies must do more to ensure security

NATO chief says alliance must do more to ensure its security

3 years ago

Duration 2:14

NATO faces a 'new reality' for its security in the wake of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, says NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, and the alliance must find ways to strengthen itself.

The plan also is expected to place more allied airpower, aircraft carrier strike groups and submarines in the region "on a persistent basis," Stoltenberg said.

Canada now has 540 troops deployed in Latvia. They're leading a NATO battlegroup as part of a mission to deter further Russian aggression. Another 120 Canadian soldiers and an artillery battery are on their way to join them.

Two Canadian frigates have been attached to the NATO standing task forces and the Canadian air force has contributed a flight of CF-18 jet fighters for air policing missions over eastern Europe.

Canada has pledged 3,400 more military personnel — soldiers, sailors and aircrew — to NATO's response force. It's not known how many of them would be committed to NATO's "reset" security presence.

Appearing on CBC's Power & Politics on Wednesday, Defence Minister Anita Anand offered little clarity.

The minister did say that she's bringing forward "aggressive options" to cabinet that could see Canadian defence spending hit NATO's two per cent GDP target, exceed it — or fall short of it.

"My role is to bring forward a number of different options for our government to consider," Anand said. In preparing spending recommendations for cabinet, federal officials routinely present ministers with three options.

During his recent tour of Europe and consultations with allies, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau refused to commit to higher defence spending. Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland said "defence spending is something that we have to look at carefully."

'We're ready to do more,' Trudeau says

Speaking at a joint announcement with Ontario Premier Doug Ford on Wednesday, Trudeau said his government has heard Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky's pleas to do more.

"We've continually said we're ready to do more and we're working every day to support more," said Trudeau, adding that there are "large conversations going on around NATO."

Trudeau said he will attend next week's emergency meeting at NATO headquarters, where leaders will "further talk about the decisions we take as an alliance as to how to best support Ukraine and protect the lives of people in Ukraine and around the world."

WATCH: Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky pleads with Canada for more help

Zelensky pleads for more help from Canada as Trudeau blacklisted by Russia

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Duration 2:59

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky made a powerful plea to Canada in a virtual address to Parliament, urging more sanctions against Russia and a no-fly zone. His remarks came as Russia announced it would place Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and hundreds of other Canadians on its ‘black list,’ barring them from entering the country.

Much of the conversation among alliance leaders is likely to turn on whether the significant increase in troops will be permanent or temporary.

Latvian President Egils Levits said Sunday that NATO should establish more permanent bases in the Baltic region — something that would violate a nearly 25-year-old treaty between the West and Russia which pledged the alliance would not have fixed bases in the region.

Stoltenberg argued Wednesday that Moscow's invasion of Ukraine has made the agreement mostly irrelevant and NATO needs more troops on top of the 40,000 already in the region.

"That is exactly what we're tasking the commanders to provide advice on — how to reset our deterrence and defence, and we will do what is necessary," he said.

Stoltenberg said the treaty with Russia "has a clear reference to 'in the current security environment,' back in 1997.

"We are not 'in the current security environment' today. We're in a totally different security environment."