Atlanta, United States (CNN) — For the first time, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) decided to activate its rapid reaction force as a defensive measure in response to the Russian attack on Ukraine.
NATO Supreme Commander General Todd Walters has activated a multinational force made up of ground, air, naval and special operations forces that can deploy quickly.
The activation of the response force does not mean that any US or NATO forces will enter Ukraine, which is not a member of the alliance, but the response force is on alert, and it is not clear how many forces will be in the response force.
US President Joe Biden had announced that US forces would be deployed in Eastern Europe to help support NATO countries, but would not fight in Ukraine.
The decision to activate the response force was announced following a phone call with Biden and NATO leaders on Friday morning, and the US President said, in a statement regarding the phone call, that NATO would remain united to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin’s threats to international peace and security.
