The German Defense Minister warned European countries against separating from the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), calling on France and the European Union (EU) to overcome "illusions" of future autonomy from the US.

On Thursday the NATO Defense Ministers are expected to approve a new major defense plan in the face of a possible Russian attack.

The covert plan intends to prepare for a simultaneous attack in the Baltic states and Black Sea areas, which might involve nuclear weapons, computer network penetration, and space-based strikes.

The plan, according to Ben Wallace, Secretary of State for Defence of the United Kingdom, "recognizes a more 21st-century threat and how to deal with it."

Moscow has denied any hostile intentions and alleges that NATO risks destabilizing Europe with such plans.

Retired US General Ben Hodges: additional resources for the Black Sea theatre

A US official divulged that the approval will allow for more detailed regional plans by the end of 2022, which will allow NATO to decide what additional weapons it needs and how to station its forces.

Retired US General Ben Hodges, who led US army troops in Europe from 2014 to 2017, expressed hope that the strategy will create better cohesion in NATO's collective defense, implying additional resources for the Black Sea area.

“To me, this is the more likely flashpoint than the Baltics,” he told Reuters, referring to the presence of fewer major allies such as Britain and France, and to Turkey's greater focus on the Syrian conflict.

Russia warns of consequences to Ukraine joining NATO

Moscow objected to US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin's statement that "no third country has a veto on Ukraine's aspirations to join the NATO military alliance."

According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko, this is not the first time such statements have been published by authorities in NATO nations, and this approach is supported by official alliance documents.

Rudenko divulged to the news agency RIA that this would be an "extremely dangerous" step that will force Russia to react accordingly.

The Deputy Foreign Minister added that "Since these are negotiations between NATO and Ukraine, it is up to them to decide when and what is needed, but we kind of warned them. NATO knows our position on Ukraine.