NATO allies on Monday agreed on defense plans detailing how the alliance would respond to a Russian attack and overcome the Turkish blockade, a day before leaders meet at a summit in Vilnius, five of them said. Agerpres.

The NATO flag flies near the statue of the controversial Soviet marshal, which was later removed by the authorities in PraguePhoto: Šulová Kateřina / ČTK / Profimedia

For decades, NATO saw no need for large-scale defense plans, while it fought smaller wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and felt that post-Soviet Russia no longer posed an existential threat.

But with Europe’s bloodiest war since 1945 raging just across its borders in Ukraine, NATO is now warning it needs to have all the plans in place long before a conflict with an adversary the size of Moscow could break out.

Turkey has blocked approval of the plans because of the wording used for geographical locations such as Cyprus.

NATO leaders are gathering in Vilnius on July 11-12 for a summit to discuss Sweden’s accession and the Alliance’s future relations with Ukraine.

In setting out its regional plans, NATO will also provide guidance to nations on how to modernize their forces and logistics.

The need to finance this fundamental change is one of the reasons why leaders are willing to raise the alliance’s military spending target in Vilnius, making the current target of 2% of GDP the minimum requirement.

NATO officials believe it will take several years to fully implement the plans, although they stress that the alliance can immediately enter combat if necessary.

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