"We do not intend to have an additional presence in either country, they have excellent national forces. They are capable of defending themselves," Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geohana said in a telephone interview.
Russian President Vladimir Putin warned last week that "if military detachments and military infrastructure are deployed there, we will be obliged to respond symmetrically and raise the same threats to those territories from which threats to us have arisen."
Geoana said that "we do not intend to have NATO bases in these two countries because they have a very high level of military and strategic maturity."
After the start of the accession process on Tuesday, it will be up to the parliaments of all 30 member states to ratify the accession of Oslo and Helsinki to the Atlantic Alliance.
Although an agreement in principle has been reached with Turkey to overcome its objections to the Scandinavian countries' policy towards Kurdish militants, there is still some anxiety about whether Ankara will immediately ratify the two countries' membership.
"We hope the process will be completed quickly," Geohana said, adding that "many countries have already started" steps toward ratification, though he declined to set an exact timeline.
Geohana welcomed the support of NATO members and allies for Ukraine as it defends itself against the Russian invasion that began Feb. 24, but acknowledged "active concerns" about how long the flow of arms and ammunition could be sustained.
Although the exchange of information on Ukraine's needs "works very well, there is of course the problem of stockpiles in allied countries," Geohana said.
Military stockpiles are limited in European countries, many of which do not have the industrial capacity to rapidly ramp up weapons production for a long period of time.
But "there is an effort to boost capacity and creativity by manufacturers, it is working very well so far," the NATO official said, also recalling that Western leaders have repeatedly stated their determination to support Ukraine for the duration of the war.
"Everyone knew we would have strategic patience" at the NATO summit in Madrid in June, he added.
But as the effects of the war hit energy, food and financial markets, analysts have warned that national leaders may face strong public opposition and funding constraints.
Source: CNA
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