The European Commission and NATO have announced the creation of a new high-level task force to enhance cooperation between the EU and NATO to address "evolving threats and challenges." The announcement came in a joint statement from European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, issued on Tuesday following their first meeting since Rutte took office. Both parties emphasized the consensus that RussiaÂ's war on Ukraine represents "the single biggest threat to peace and security on the European continent." Von der Leyen and Rutte confirmed that the deployment of North Korean soldiers to support Russia represented a "significant escalation" of the war against Ukraine, in addition to being a "serious threat" to European security and global peace. According to the statement, both parties praised the importance of "this vital partnership for defending peace, freedom, and prosperity" in a world of increasing risks and agreed that plans for the first meeting of the task for ce will be held in the coming weeks. Furthermore, the statement noted that both parties discussed what they described as the "growing assertiveness of authoritarian states on the worldÂ's stage" where these states challenge the common interests, values, and democratic principles of the EU and NATO, using multiple means" at the political, economic, technological, and military levels. Source: Kuwait News Agency
