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NATO is considering the long-term deployment of battlegroups, such as those already in place in the Baltic States and Poland, in the Black Sea region, including Romania.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg made this statement at a press conference with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Reuters streamed the meeting.
Find out PM Johnson’s key messages from the briefing here.
He emphasized that NATO was a defensive alliance and that its goal was to preserve peace and prevent conflict, and that the Allies were working together.
According to the Secretary-General, the Alliance is now doing many things at once.
“First of all, we have an increased presence in the eastern part of the Alliance: with more military, combat groups, planes, ships,” Stoltenberg said.
“Second, we have increased the readiness of our forces, which we can strengthen if necessary,” he added.
“And thirdly, we are considering where we need a longer-term deployment in the eastern part of the Alliance. Today we have combat teams in the Baltic States and Poland. But now we are considering the deployment of similar combat teams in the Black Sea region, in Romania,” he said. NATO.
At the Warsaw Summit in 2016, in response to the changing security situation, NATO leaders decided to strengthen NATO’s military presence on the bloc’s eastern borders.
Read also: 60% of Europeans believe NATO should come to Ukraine’s defence if Russia invades, – poll
NATO presence in central and eastern Europe includes:
- Battlegroups (Enchaced Forward Presence)
- Force Integration Unit
- US missile shield
Three out of fifteen former Soviet republics have become members of NATO. Ukraine has close relations with the Alliance, and since 2014, its cooperation with the body has enchased. The Kremlin expected to demand a guarantee that NATO won’t expand east, so Ukraine and Georgia would not join the Alliance. However, Biden’s administration states that NATO adheres to the open doors policy.
Read also: Ukraine to hold military drills engaging Bayraktar drones, Javelin, NLAW missiles
The first batch of US soldiers arrived in Poland and Romania with the bulk of the contingent to follow. It is planned to send nearly 3,000 extra troops to Poland and Romania to shield NATO eastern flanks. In addition, France’s president Emmanuel Macron expressed his readiness to send hundreds of troops to Romania under NATO command. Germany states is would deploy nearly 350 additional troops to Lithuania, as Russia’s military buildup near Ukraine grows.
