NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte said the main goal of the operation was to strengthen the defense of Europe's eastern flank. He said Denmark, France, the United Kingdom and Germany had joined the mission. Other aspects of the operation have not yet been disclosed.

A NATO leaders' summit was held in The Hague, Netherlands, on June 24-25, with the participation of 32 member states. At the summit, NATO countries agreed to increase defense spending to 5 percent of GDP by 2035, after months of pressure from US President Donald Trump.

Denmark's Defense Intelligence Agency has warned that a large-scale military conflict could erupt in Europe within the next five years. The report notes that if Russia perceives NATO as politically and militarily weak, it will be more likely to use force against individual alliance countries.

Demonstrations in Montreal, Canada, where the 70th session of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly is taking place, turned into clashes with the police and street riots. Masked persons disguised as Hamas supporters also took part in the riots.

The General Assembly of the Turkish Grand National Assembly (GNTA) adopted a draft law approving the ratification of the protocol on Sweden's accession to NATO. 287 out of 346 deputies voted to ratify the protocol on Sweden's accession to NATO.