Ukrainian crisis: facing Russia, NATO wants to strengthen its military force in the east
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at NATO headquarters in Brussels on February 10, 2022. AP - Olivier Matthys
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British Prime Minister Boris Johnson is at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Thursday.
he announced the strengthening of the British military presence within NATO's posture vis-à-vis Russia.
Other countries such as the United States, Denmark or France for example have already made similar announcements and for the Secretary-General of NATO, "
the moment is dangerous for the security of Europe
".
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With our correspondent in Brussels,
Pierre Bénazet
According to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, the number of Russian troops in Belarus and Russia is increasing and the warning time for a possible attack is decreasing.
Boris Johnson and him both say that the moment is dangerous and the British Prime Minister even evokes the possibility of a “
catastrophe
”.
For NATO, the watchword is now a reinforcement of troops in the east.
“
Firstly, we have already increased our presence in the eastern part of the Alliance,
” explains Jens Stoltenberg.
Second, we have raised the alert level of the troops so that they can quickly reinforce if necessary.
And thirdly, we are also studying at this time the need for a long-term change in our posture in the eastern part of the Alliance.
Today we have combat groups in the Baltic countries and in Poland but we are now considering having similar combat groups in the Black Sea region, for example in Romania
”.
This long-term reinforcement will be on the table at the meeting of NATO defense ministers on Wednesday and Thursday.
Faced with Russia, the Atlantic Alliance has been advocating for ten years two main axes: deterrence and dialogue.
It is no longer a question today of deterrence.
►
To read also
: on the Ukrainian file, slight relaxation of the Kremlin, but the military exercises continue
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz receives the leaders of the Baltic countries this evening in Berlin
Russian forces have just launched ten-day joint military maneuvers in Belarus.
They are of particular concern to the countries of the region, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia, which are witnessing Russia's standoff with the West.
It is in this context that the German Chancellor Olaf Scholz receives this Thursday evening in Berlin the leaders of the Baltic countries.
Olaf Scholz has been criticized for his perceived timorous stance on the Ukrainian file, accused of not getting involved enough and maintaining ambiguity over the fate of the Nord Stream II gas pipeline.
Germany refuses, moreover, to deliver weapons and even prevents Estonia, which inherited D-30 howitzers from the GDR, from sending them to Ukraine.
This Thursday evening's meeting in Berlin is all the more important as NATO's commitment on the eastern flank is one of Russia's major concerns.
The 2004 integration of the Baltic countries into the Atlantic Alliance has never been digested by Moscow, which is now asking NATO to reconsider its deployment in the region.
Five hundred Bundeswehr soldiers are currently present in Lithuania, a small country bordered by the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad and Belarus.
Vilnius has been calling for a reinforcement of NATO's presence for months.
On Monday, Christine Lambrecht, the German Defense Minister, announced the dispatch of 350 additional soldiers to Lithuania, a gesture interpreted as an "important signal of the attention paid to the region" by Vilnius.
A few hours before the meeting with the Baltic countries, Olaf Scholz assures us that he believes in the "progress" born of the resumption of intense diplomatic exchanges with Moscow.
It remains to be seen whether his guests will share his optimism.
►Also read:
Ukraine: Macron offers "concrete security guarantees", Putin open to "compromise"
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