NATO allies commit around $1 billion per year to support Afghan forces

“Russia’s aggressive actions, including provocative military activities”, are a source of instability, they said, while “security is also deeply affected” by violence in the Middle East and North Africa.

The development comes after US President Barack Obama on Wednesday said he was slowing a planned drawdown of US troops from Afghanistan.

A photo shows NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made the announcement at the ongoing NATO Summit in Warsaw, capital of Poland, on July 9, 2016.

“Today we have taken decisions to strengthen our partners and to project stability beyond our borders”, Stoltenberg told reporters. But he concluded that with the multifaceted efforts being made, “NATO is as strong, as nimble and as ready as ever”.

The second day of the Summit focused on the southern flank security, and included decision on support for European Union anti-human trafficking mission, counteracting the Islamic State (IS) and terrorism.

The NATO chief said “allies are united in their support” for Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

But the Afghans have struggled to contain a resurgent Taliban and have suffered brutal losses – more than 5,000 local police and troops were killed in 2015 and this year is proving as deadly. He hinted there was still some pledges to come in, adding, “We are very close (to the target)”.

Vance said he couldn’t say how long they would stay.

Mr Stoltenberg highlighted as key decisions the alliance’s agreement to maintain the present level of support beyond this year, firm commitments to continue funding to 2020 and continued backing for “long-term political partnership and practical cooperation with Afghanistan”. Specific numbers will be finalised this fall, he said.

Three Ukrainian soldiers were killed and sixteen wounded as violent clashes continued between pro-Russian rebels and government forces in the country’s separatist east, Kiev said Sunday. The officials were not authorized to discuss the details publicly, so they spoke on condition of anonymity.

Barack Obama once pledged to end US entanglement in foreign conflicts. The US spends $3.45bn annually on training, advising and supporting Afghan forces and has eased plans for immediate cuts in troop levels.

“We now have in place the $1 billion of non-U.S. commitments”, Stoltenberg said, according to Reuters.

Obama had previously vowed to slash troop numbers from the current 9,800 to 5,500 by the end of this year, but on Wednesday said the United States would now keep 8,400 USA troops in Afghanistan.

Putin agreed to a meeting of the NATO-Russia Council next week, the second meeting this year of a consultation body that was put on ice after Moscow’s seizure of Crimea in 2014.

To Russia, the West’s interventions in the Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq are proof that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization has preserved its aggressive military bent.

Russian Federation has said it will examine closely what is decided at the summit for how it affects its security. “It will make it harder”. Britain will lead a battalion in Estonia, Germany in Lithuania, the United States will do so in Poland. “We do not want a new Cold War, we do not want a new arms race and we do not want confrontation”, he said. “All the rhetoric in Warsaw just yells of a desire nearly to declare war on Russian Federation. They only talk about defense, but actually are preparing for offensive operations”.