Jens Stoltenberg

Prime minister said it "wouldn't be appropriate" for Jens Stoltenberg to address The Guardian's point about the military promise if the Tories lose the election.

It comes as Putin orders his armed forces to recruit 170,000 more soldiers.

Seventy years ago, in the wake of WWII, 12 countries came together to form a military and political alliance. The North Atlantic Treaty Organisation was firstly needed for collective defence against a growing Soviet Bloc. Article 5 of the treaty, which states that an attack on any member would be considered an attack on the group, has acted as a strong deterrent for the past 70 years. It was only invoked once in NATO history, in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. In recent years NATO has come under attack by US Commander-in-Chief Donald Trump. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg addressed the US Congress on invitation by Nancy Pelosi on the historic anniversary.

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