NATO to bolster ranks, help Ukraine counter chemical attack

By LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says U.S. President Joe Biden and his counterparts are ready to order more forces into Eastern Europe to deter Russia from invading any member of their ranks. At a summit on Thursday, the leaders are also likely to approve sending equipment to Ukraine to help the country defend against chemical or biological attacks. Stoltenberg said Wednesday that four new battlegroups, which usually number between 1,000-1,500 troops, are being set up in Hungary, Slovakia, Romania and Bulgaria. NATO is increasingly concerned that Russia might be planning a chemical weapons attack in Ukraine. Stoltenberg says “any use of chemical weapons would totally change the nature of the conflict” and have “far-reaching consequences.”