France will strengthen its position on the eastern flank of the Atlantic Alliance
French army soldiers take part in a forward presence exercise of the NATO battle group, at the Cincu training center, in central Romania, on September 20, 2022. AFP - DANIEL MIHAILESCU
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Paris will strengthen its military presence on NATO's eastern flank.
This is what the Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, announced on Tuesday evening.
Additional troops will be deployed in Romania, as well as armor.
The French military presence will also be reinforced in the Baltic countries.
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It is because of the "
violence of the fighting
" in Ukraine, and the situation on the eastern flank of NATO, that this reinforcement was decided by the French authorities.
First announcement: the doubling of the manpower deployed in Romania within the framework of NATO.
France will send 350 additional soldiers during the month of November, as well as a dozen armored vehicles and a dozen Leclerc tanks.
According to the Ministry of the Armed Forces, France will also increase its presence in the Baltic countries, still within the framework of the Atlantic Alliance.
Rafale planes will be deployed in Lithuania, and a hundred additional men will join, in 2023, the 300 soldiers already present in Estonia.
The ministry estimates at nearly 700 million euros, in 2022, the French budgetary effort for this reinforcement of the eastern flank of NATO.
Ukraine: Sébastien Lecornu announces the deployment of a squadron of Leclerc tanks in Romania https://t.co/33FgDVFgsv
— Public Senate (@publicsenat) October 11, 2022
These announcements come as Ukraine has been facing an intensification of Russian bombardments for two days.
All regions of the country have suffered missile strikes since Monday morning, in retaliation for the partial destruction of the Crimean Bridge last Saturday.
►Read also: Armaments: client of Russia, India suffers from the conflict in Ukraine
NATO: “doubled” presence in the Baltic and North Sea
The number one of the Atlantic Alliance informed on Tuesday that the politico-military organization had "
doubled
" its presence in the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, to "
more than 30 ships
", specifies Jens Stoltenberg, after the sabotage of the gas pipelines North Stream.
These ships are "
supported by maritime patrol aircraft and submarine capabilities
", specified the Secretary General of NATO, during a press conference.
Military reinforcement efforts “
are closely coordinated by NATO's Maritime Command
,” adds Mr. Stoltenberg.
These maritime areas include other critical gas pipelines linking Norway in particular to European countries.
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