NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday 16 February that despite Russian announcements, there was no sign of calming on the Ukrainian border.
“So far, we see no signs of de-escalation on the ground. No withdrawal of troops or equipment”, he explained at a press conference at the end of the first day of the NATO Defence Ministerial. According to him, Russia maintains a “massive invasion force ready to attack with high-end capabilities from Crimea to Belarus”. “This is the largest concentration of forces in Europe since the Cold War” highlighted Mr Stoltenberg.
Asked about the cyber attack on Ukraine on 15 February, the Secretary General expressed concern that the cyber attack or Russian troops moving into position were “the kind of actions and measures we expect before a larger military intervention in Ukraine”.
In a joint statement, the Allied Defence Ministers underlined their deep concern about the “unprovoked and unjustified large-scale build-up of Russian military forces in and around Ukraine and Belarus”. They therefore urged Russia “in the strongest possible terms”, to choose the path of diplomacy, immediately reverse the build-up and withdraw its forces from Ukraine in accordance with its international obligations and commitments.
Mr Stoltenberg also described Russia’s challenge, by force, to the fundamental principles that had underpinned Alliance security for decades as “the new normal in Europe”. Ministers reiterated that the Alliance remains committed to the fundamental principles that form the basis of European security, including the right of each country to choose its own security arrangements.
The Secretary General also noted that NATO was ready for dialogue and that it had sent concrete proposals to Moscow, which had not yet responded. He also reiterated his invitation to Russia for a new NATO-Russia Council. In their statement, the Allies expressed their willingness to engage in a new dialogue on European security following the initiative presented by Poland in the framework of the OSCE Chairmanship.
Believing that Russian actions pose a serious threat to Euro-Atlantic security, Ministers expressed their readiness to further strengthen NATO’s defensive and deterrent posture to deal with any eventuality. Mr Stoltenberg announced that the Ministers had agreed to develop options for further strengthening the Alliance’s deterrence and defence, including consideration of new battlegroups in Central and Eastern Europe and South Eastern Europe. France has already offered to lead one of these battlegroups in Romania. “Our military commanders will now work out the details and report back in the coming weeks”, the Secretary General said.
The Allies reiterated their “unwavering” commitment to Article 5 of the Washington Treaty on collective defence. “We are united, determined to defend each other”, they warned.
See the Allied declaration: https://bit.ly/33r1IVT (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)