Russia facing rising tension from NATO
TENSIONS are soaring between Russia and the West, with Nato outlining a series of potential troop and ship deployments and Ireland warning that upcoming Russian war games off its coast would not be welcome.
The statements on Monday come as concerns abound that Moscow is planning to invade Ukraine.
The Western alliance’s statement summed up moves already announced by individual member countries, but restating them under the Nato banner appeared to be aimed at showing the alliance’s resolve.
It was just one of a series of announcements that signalled the West is ramping up its rhetoric in the
information war that has accompanied the Ukraine stand-off.
Russia has massed an estimated 100,000 troops near Ukraine’s border and is demanding that Nato promise it will never allow Ukraine to join and that other actions, such as stationing alliance troops in former Soviet bloc countries, be curtailed.
Some of these, such as any pledge to permanently bar Ukraine, are non-starters for Nato – creating a seemingly intractable stand-off that many fear can only end in war.
Russia denies it is planning an invasion, and has said the Western accusations are merely a cover for Nato’s own planned provocations.
Recent days have seen high-stakes diplomacy that failed to reach any breakthrough and manoeuvring on both sides.
On Monday, Nato said that it is beefing up its “deterrence” in the Baltic Sea area.
Denmark is sending a frigate and deploying F-16 war planes to Lithuania, Spain is sending four fighter jets to Bulgaria and three ships to the Black Sea to join Nato naval forces, and France stands ready to send troops to Romania.
Secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance will “take all necessary measures to protect and defend all allies”.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov hit back during a conference call with reporters, claiming: “All this is happening not because of what we, Russia, are doing. This is happening because of what Nato, the US
are doing”.