German defence minister says NATO must do more to protect members against Russia

NATO must do more for common security to protect itself against the potential acts of Russia and president Vladimir Putin, German Defence Minister Christine Lambrecht said on Saturday.

"The fact is that we, NATO, must do more for our common security because we cannot know how far Putin's delusions of grandeur can go", Lambrecht said while visiting German troops deployed in Lithuania.

"We've heard Russia's threats to Lithuania which was implementing European sanctions on the border with Kaliningrad. This is not nearly the first threats and we must take them seriously and be prepared," she said.  

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was created in 1949 by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union.

Today, NATO has been at the forefront of the US and Europe's response to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. 

Spurred into action by security concerns over Russia’s invasion, Finland and Sweden officially applied to join NATO in May using an accelerated procedure. Most member countries have already ratified their applications and the two Nordic nations are on track to join in record time.