"NATO" is studying the deployment of Eastern European forces in response to the Russian military build-up on the borders of Ukraine

NATO defense ministers are expected to launch this week a plan that could lead to the deployment of four multinational battle groups to southeastern Europe, in response to Russia's military buildup on Ukraine's borders, three diplomats said.

And CBS had quoted a US official as saying that Russian military units had begun moving to offensive positions near the Ukrainian border.

He revealed that long-range artillery and rocket launchers were transferred to the firing positions.

It is scheduled to meet the defense ministers of the NATO countries, on Wednesday and Thursday, to decide on issuing an order to military leaders to draw up plans to deploy combat groups of about a thousand soldiers in Bulgaria and Romania, and possibly in Slovakia and Hungary.

With the United States warning of an imminent Russian invasion of Ukraine, the diplomats said, according to Reuters, the ministers were likely to agree to the first step, which is to ask military leaders to develop a detailed plan for the deployment of the four battle groups on the ground.

"There will be a mandate that will allow us to escalate or de-escalate in the event that Russia withdraws its forces," a senior NATO diplomat said.

It is reported that despite massing more than 100,000 troops near Ukraine's borders, Moscow denies any intention to invade, and accuses Western governments of behaving "hysteria".

But she made it clear that she sees the efforts of the former Soviet Republic to close relations with the West, especially the attempt to join NATO, as a threat to it.

Ukraine is not a member of NATO and there is no treaty obligating it to defend it.

A reinforcement of forces in the Black Sea would demonstrate the alliance's seriousness in a region of strategic importance and in countries such as Hungary and Slovakia that border Ukraine.

Any final decision on troop deployment would be taken at a later time, and France and Bulgaria offered to command the battle groups in Romania and Bulgaria, respectively.

Any deployment would conflict with Moscow's security demands that the alliance withdraw its forces from eastern Europe.

NATO stresses that the composition of the combat groups used in the Baltic region is not a permanent concentration of forces, but rather a "continuous" presence of forces in rotation to become the first line of defense in the event that Russia invades the territories of countries in the alliance.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg hinted at the possibility of deploying more battle groups.

He said on the seventh of February: "We are considering making longer-term adjustments to the strength and presence of (forces) in the eastern part of the alliance, a final decision has not been made yet, but there is a process already underway within the alliance."

A French presidential official said French forces would only be deployed to Romania after the alliance had made a decision, and that it might take time to build up and arm the combat groups.

But with Hungary and Slovakia careful not to anger Russia, diplomats said the alliance might avoid a deployment to the southeast that would closely match the combat groups in the Baltic.

Alternatively, NATO may resort to creating a French-led multinational force in Romania to coordinate the exercises of NATO forces in Eastern Europe, allowing the movement of troops to and from the region without an official presence.

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