[ad_1]
On Saturday, the German newspaper Spiegel reported that the top NATO general had suggested that the alliance establish a military presence in Bulgaria and Romania following the increase in the Russian military presence near the border with Ukraine.
The article, published today, said that the proposals made by Todd Wolters, NATO’s Senior Commander in Europe, would in fact expand the alliance’s so-called “readiness increased presence” mission, under which it has deployed forces. military in the Baltic states and in eastern Poland.
However, Der Spiegel did not directly quote Mr. Wolters. The paper wrote that according to ‘information’, General Wolters had ‘called for a reinforcement of troops on NATO’s eastern border’, during a teleconference with the military chiefs of the partner countries. According to the newspaper, this plan would expand NATO’s presence (in Romania and Bulgaria) through the “Ready Increased Presence” mission (EFP).
NATO declined to comment on Der Spiegel’s article. Both Bulgaria and Romania have called for an expansion of NATO’s presence. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday that NATO would “continuously assess the need to further adjust its positions and presence, even in the southeast of the region, as the alliance, he said, must always be confident that can protect allies against any threat.
The growing Russian military presence on the border with Ukraine has increased tensions between Moscow and NATO. The alliance has urged Russia not to attack the former Soviet republic, but Moscow has denied that it is planning to do so. Russia says it is responding to what it sees as a threat to its security from Ukraine’s increasingly strained relations with NATO and its intentions to join the alliance. Moscow said on Friday it was seeking legal and binding guarantees from NATO that it would give up all military activity in Eastern Europe and Ukraine.
top channel
[ad_2]
Source link
