“This is the largest concentration of troops in Europe since the Cold War,” said his secretary general. NATOJens Stoltenberg during the meeting of the Ministers of Defense.
“There are signs from Russia that diplomacy must continue, but so far we do not see no sign of de-escalation. None withdrawal of troops or equipment, “he said.
He added: “Of course this can change, but at the moment Russia has a huge force ready to attack Crimea from Belarus.
In fact, he predicted that Russia had amassed more than 100,000 troops and very heavy equipment.
“This is what we expect to happen before a major military operation,” he said, referring to a cyber attack on Ukraine’s defense ministry and on banks linked to Russia.
Stoltenberg pointed out that NATO is not a threat to Russia and the steps it is taking are “defensive”.
“We do not know what will happen in Ukraine, but we already know that there is a crisis in Europe’s security,” he said.
He said this was the “new normality” as Russia tried to test the principles underpinning European security and that it was using force to intimidate other European countries into accepting Russian demands.
He says it violates basic principles that have been important for decades.
“Russia has shown a willingness to use force to try to coerce other countries and to try to change some fundamental principles that are important to our common security,” he said.
He added that it was therefore important to consider long-term adjustments to NATO’s position in the east.
In that context, he said, NATO would consider deploying new battle groups in central and southeastern areas within the Alliance – such as Romania – as part of its defense strategy against Russian aggression. He added that an additional $ 270 billion would be spent on defense.
High price if Russia invades
At the same time, the NATO Secretary General warned that there would be a “high price” if Russia uses violence, saying that sanctions would be imposed. He stressed that Ukraine is better trained and equipped than when Russia annexed Crimea in 2014.
“Even if we see a gradual development where Russia decides not to use violence, the fact that it has mobilized all these troops threatening an independent country, that in itself is serious.”
Diplomatic fever
Reduced, but not non-existent, is the fear of the West in the last hours for a possible invasion of Russia in Ukraine.
Diplomatic efforts gained new momentum, after Vl. Putin said Russia was ready to discuss security issues with NATO. At the same time, Russia announced that it was withdrawing part of its troops from the border with Ukraine.
The United States and its allies have welcomed the diplomatic move, but have said they do not have enough evidence of military escalation.
US President Joe Biden said late last night that some 150,000 Russian troops were still stationed in northern, southern and eastern Ukraine, and expressed concern that the invasion could happen at any moment.
NATO defense ministers meet in Brussels.
In the face of all this, Russia insists it has no intention of launching a military operation.
What about the Russian troops
Russia’s Defense Ministry announced that military units participating in exercises began to return at their bases.
The statement was hailed as a “good signal” by German Chancellor Olaf Soltz and gave a ray of light.
But it was not immediately clear exactly where these troops were deployed or how many left.
The Russian Ministry of Defense then released footage of an armored vehicle leaving the Crimeawhich Russia annexed by Ukraine in 2014.
Moscow said the move was part of the return of forces to their permanent bases.
However, NATO Commander Jens Stoltenberg said that the Alliance “does not see the withdrawal of Russian troops”, while the British Minister of Defense, Ben Wallace, said that it is too early to know if the Russians are really leaving.
For its part, the Kremlin denies allegations that it is planning an invasion. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Western “hysteria is deeply troubling us” and accused the West of trying to dictate how Russia should behave on its territory.
Moscow’s ambassador to the European Union, Vladimir Chizov, told the German newspaper Welt that “there will be no attack this Wednesday. “There will be no escalation either next week or next month.”
However, Western powers say that even if the invasion does not happen immediately, Russia can keep its army concentrated on the border with Ukraine for many weeks.
NATO defense ministers meet in Brussels. Stoltenberg said NATO would “send a very clear message to Russia that we are ready to sit down and talk to them, but at the same time we are prepared for the worst.”
Stoltenberg said Russia’s positive message about diplomacy “provides some reason for restrained optimism”, but that the concentration of Russian forces “contradicts the message of genuine diplomatic efforts”.
NATO has ruled out sending troops to fight Russia, which is not a member of the Western Alliance.
But hundreds of American, British and other troops from NATO countries have been sent to bolster defense in Poland and the Baltic states.
Moscow accuses NATO of getting closer to Russia’s borders. A key demand of Russia is for Ukraine to abandon its ambition to join NATO. The alliance says Ukraine must have the freedom to make its own choice.
What is happening in Ukraine
Ukrainian President Zelensky declared Wednesday a “day of national unity.” He called on the citizens to show the blue and yellow flag and sing the national anthem in the face of the “hybrid threats”. Protesters unfurled a 200-meter (656-foot) flag at a sports stadium in Kiev.
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