NATO has received a huge boost after four of the defence alliance’s member states agreed to establish a military corridor through their territories.

The transport route will connect the Adriatic and Black Seas, helping to improve the rapid deployment of troops across the continent in the event of an attack.

NATO leaders have been meeting in Washington for a three-day summit to discuss beefing up security and increasing military aid to Ukraine, among other things.

The meeting comes in the wake of Russia‘s brutal missile onslaught on Ukraine on Monday when a children’s cancer hospital in Kyiv was hit and destroyed.

Prior to the conference, Defence Ministers from Italy, Albania, Bulgaria and North Macedonia thrashed out the outlines of an agreement aimed at improving NATO’s ability to counter a Russian invasion.

The approved route, aligned with Pan-European Transport Corridor No. 8, will significantly enhance the efficiency of military logistics and operations.

It seeks to optimise the transportation routes essential for the swift deployment of military assets across the participating nations.

The corridor will stretch from Italy’s Adriatic coast through Albania and North Macedonia to Varna on Bulgaria’s Black Sea shores.

The agreement was officially signed at the NATO summit in Washington by the Defence Ministers of the four countries.

Italy’s Defence Minister Guido Crosetto wrote on his X social media account: “Satisfaction with the agreement with Albania, Bulgaria, and North Macedonia on the Pan-European Corridor connecting the Adriatic Sea with the Black Sea.

“A fundamental step to improve #NATO military mobility, contributing to regional development and stability across Europe.”

NATO leaders are discussing plans to ramp up military production across member states in light of the threats posed by Putin’s Russia.

US President Joe Biden said new investments in the military-industrial complex were “critical” to maintaining deterrence.

hE COMMENTED: “Right now, Russia is on a wartime footing with regard to defence production.

“They’re significantly ramping up their production of weapons, munitions and vehicles. And they’re doing it with the help of China, North Korea and Iran. We cannot allow the alliance to fall behind.”