NATO Strategy

As the crisis in Ukraine is getting deeper, NATO is working on a new defense strategy in Europe

Valentin Țigău, 02.09.2014, 13:26

At the summit to be held later this week in Wales, the 28 presidents of the NATO member countries will adopt a plan in reaction to Russian Federation’s actions in Ukraine. NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen has announced during a press conference that the alliance will become more visible in the countries that make up the eastern flank, by setting up an advanced force able to respond rapidly to threats. However, in order not to break the Russia — NATO agreement, these bases will not be permanent.

According to the Radio Romania correspondent in Brussels, Rasmussen has also announced that, with a view to strengthening Ukraine’s security, the West is expecting for the new Parliament in Kiev, which will be formed following November 26th elections, to amend the current Ukrainian legislation, which stipulates that the country should not join any military block. The Western press reads that NATO intends to deploy five bases in Eastern Europe, more precisely in Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia, Romania and Poland. According to NATO’s plans, up to 600 soldiers will be stationed in each of these military bases. They are aimed not to ensure an offensive capability, Rasmussen has also stressed, but to discourage any potential aggression. The NATO Secretary General has also explained that since the end of the cold war the Alliance has made considerable efforts to develop a Partnership with Russia. The peak of these efforts was the NATO summit in Lisbon, back in 2010, when the Alliance proposed a strategic partnership with Russia. Through its aggression against Ukraine and the violation of that country’s territorial integrity, alongside its generating tension and instability in Europe, Moscow has violated the principles of that strategic partnership.

According to our correspondent in Moscow, Russia’s stand with regard to NATO’s objectives has been long clear. The Kremlin has stated that if NATO treats Russia as an adversary, then the latter has the right to react accordingly. We recall that in Bucharest, Romanian Prime Minister Victor Ponta has announced that at the NATO summit due later this week Romania will ask for a clear military presence on its territory and a firm commitment in the region, because it is important for this country to feel it is protected. Romania, Victor Ponta has also said, has been a solid and reliable partner to NATO and the US, and a crisis situation like the current one is an opportunity to consolidate this status.