Stoltenberg accused Russia of moving NATO troops east
NATO is deploying additional forces in Poland and Romania to defend against military integration between Russia and Belarus.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated this at a press conference today, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“We have been seeing for many years, since the beginning of the illegal annexation of Crimea and the beginning of Russia’s support for Donbass separatists, that there are combat groups that are located around Ukraine. We also see increasingly stronger integration of the Russian and Belarusian armed forces. That's why we reacted the way we did - we strengthened our presence in the east.
Our battle groups in Poland and the Baltics are, of course, defensive. Because of what is happening around Ukraine and the presence of Russian troops in Belarus, we are considering further steps. This is the deployment of combat groups in Romania and the southeast of the Alliance,” Stoltenberg said.
He accused Russia of violating the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, which the United States actually tore up.
“Of course we are concerned about what we are seeing. The fact that Russia is modernizing Iskander nuclear missiles. We see them in Belarus, as well as in Kaliningrad. Iskanders are dual-use systems. They can carry nuclear warheads.
We have been concerned about this for a long period of time. Russia deployed these missiles without adhering to the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty. We are doing everything possible to protect Alliance members in such a dangerous environment,” Stoltenberg said.
At the same time, he assures that NATO is committed to dialogue with Russia and believes in diplomacy.
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