The NATO allies will send planes, ships to enhance eastern Europe defence, the alliance said in a statement accessed by the AFP. This is the first time NATO has taken a military step as Russia’s threat of an invasion into Ukraine continues to grow.
NATO allies, according to a report by news agency AFP, kept forces on standby and dispatched ships and fighter jets to strengthen the defence of the eastern European nations. NATO’s move is exactly what Russian president Putin was against and Russian officials in their diplomatic talks with US officials clearly outlined that they are against increased military presence of NATO in former Soviet and Warsaw Pact nations.
The statement by NATO comes at a time when the US is also planning to send thousands of troops to eastern Europe and Baltic nations to strengthen Ukraine’s response to the Russian aggression. The UK earlier last week sent anti-tank weapons to Ukraine in order to strengthen its response to the growing Russian threat.
“NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend all Allies, including by reinforcing the eastern part of the Alliance. We will always respond to any deterioration of our security environment,” the secretary general of NATO Jens Stoltenberg was quoted as saying by news agency AFP.
Stoltenberg highlighted that Denmark’s decision to send a frigate and warplanes to the Baltics, Spain bolstering naval deployments and the Netherlands putting a “ship and land-based units on standby” for its rapid response force were measures which were being taken to bolster its presence.
Following NATO’s statement, the UK remains as the only nation which sent ammunition and plans to send personnel to help the Ukrainian army while others continue to send forces only to eastern European nations in a bid to contain Russia’s bid to invade Ukraine.
The move also comes as US secretary of state Antony Blinken holds an important meeting with his EU counterparts whose probable outcome will be a tough response to any Russian incursion into Ukraine. Top EU diplomat Borrell earlier said that EU nations are mulling tough economic sanctions on Russia but nothing has been finalised yet.
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