Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania want to increase deterrence
against possible Russian military action
FILE PHOTO. © Getty Images / Sean Gallup
The Baltic states have begun discussions to increase the number of NATO soldiers on their territories, due to a perceived threat posed by Russia, the Prime Minister of Estonia revealed on Wednesday.
Speaking to news agency Reuters, Kaja Kallas explained that her nation has serious concerns and wants to have extra troops on the ground as a means of deterrence. Alongside Latvia and Lithuania, the three Baltic nations are former Soviet republics, and each shares a border with Russia.
“Of course, we are discussing with our allies to increase their presence here to act as a deterrent,” Kallas told Reuters. “If you look at the map, the Baltic states are a NATO peninsula and, therefore, we have our worries.”
The Baltic state’s request comes as tensions between NATO and Russia remain high. Worries over possible conflict have risen in recent months, with Moscow being accused of placing around 100,000 troops on its Western border, near Ukraine. Some NATO leaders believe Russia is preparing for war.
“If Russia once again uses force against Ukraine and further invades Ukraine, then we have to seriously look into the need to further increase our presence in the eastern part of the alliance,” said Jens Stoltenberg, the Secretary-General of the US-led bloc.
NATO initially boosted its troop presence in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, and Poland in 2014, following Russia’s reabsorption of Crimea.
Earlier this week, Russia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov met with US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman to discuss a potential security deal. Moscow wants American diplomats to sign a legally-binding document promising that NATO will not further expand eastwards towards the Russian border, which would formally rule out admitting both Ukraine and Georgia, two countries that both wish to join the bloc.
Patience with West has come to an end – Moscow
Russia’s ability to keep calm is waning, foreign minister indicates
By Layla Guest
Russia is becoming increasingly weary with the actions of Western powers, Moscow’s top diplomat has warned, following negotiations this week with Washington and NATO on European security concerns.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov stressed that Moscow’s “patience has come to an end. We are very patient…we have been harnessing [burdens] for a very long time, and now it’s time for us to go.”
According to the veteran official, the Russian side is waiting for the West to give “a concrete answer” to its security proposals.
Lavrov also slammed Washington’s recent demands, that Russia send its troops allegedly poised at the Ukrainian border back to their barracks, as “barking up the wrong tree.” According to him, “the time that this has been chosen [to be discussed] simply reflects a period when the West gets mad, let’s be frank.”
“We categorically cannot be satisfied with this – these are unacceptable approaches,” he remarked.
The diplomat also took aim at Brussels, claiming that the EU is “now actively promoting their plans to send a military coaching mission to Ukraine.” He accused the bloc of wanting to “contribute to the training of…anti-Russian units.”
Lavrov’s remarks come amid increasingly strained relations between East and West. On Wednesday, NATO representatives and Russian diplomats met to discuss security on the European continent, which was preceded by talks between officials from Washington and Moscow.
The US-led military bloc’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said on Wednesday that the organization was ready to schedule “a series of meetings on various topics, including restrictions on missile weapons in Europe,” with the Russian side. However, he made it clear NATO would not would not back down, and compromise on what it considers to be its core values, to meet Moscow’s demands.
Stoltenberg insisted that “only Ukraine and 30 allies can decide when Ukraine becomes a member ... Russia does not have a veto,” referring to one of its requests to guarantee that Kiev will not join NATO’s ranks.
Last month, Moscow handed over two draft treaties – one to Washington and the other to NATO – which included a request for assurances from NATO concerning the movement of military personnel and hardware, as well as calls on the organization to refrain from further enlargement close to Russia’s borders.
Russia ‘fabricating a pretext for invasion’ of Ukraine – White House
Washington believes Moscow could stage a fake incident to justify military action
The Kremlin is laying the groundwork to fabricate a reason for invading Ukraine, including possible sabotage activities and information operations, a senior White House official claimed on Thursday.
Speaking to the press, United States National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan stated that the American intelligence community believes Moscow is planning a scenario where it can justify a military incursion into Ukraine, noting that more information will be published “over the course of the next 24 hours.”
“Russia is laying the groundwork to have the option of fabricating a pretext for an invasion, including through sabotage activities and information operations, by accusing Ukraine of preparing an imminent attack against Russian forces in Eastern Ukraine,” Sullivan said, accusing Russia of using similar tactics in 2014.
The accusation follows months of suggestions in American media that Russia is allegedly planning an invasion of Ukraine, with intelligence reports stating that Moscow has placed 100,000 troops on the border. Plans for military action have been repeatedly denied by the Kremlin, which says it is simply moving its own troops on its territory.
Earlier this week, Wendy Sherman, the US deputy secretary of state, held talks with Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov in Geneva to discuss potential solutions to the current European security crisis. Following the bilateral meeting, Sherman told reporters that Washington was prepared to impose severe costs on Moscow if it invades Ukraine.
“We are more than ready and totally in line with our partners and allies on the need to impose severe costs on Russia through financial sanctions, export controls that target key industries, enhancements of NATO force posture on Allied territory, and increased security assistance to Ukraine,” she said.
Russia responds to US ‘false flag’ claims
The Kremlin says there is no evidence for ‘hearsay’ accusations
of Russian ‘operatives’ set to frame Ukraine
After Western media carried reports, on Friday, citing unnamed US officials, claiming that Russia is preparing a “false flag” incident in order to invade Ukraine, the Kremlin has dismissed them as baseless and unfounded rumors.
“So far, all these statements have been unsubstantiated and not backed up by anything,” spokesman Dmitry Peskov told TASS news agency, when asked about the stories making the rounds.
Earlier in the day, anonymous US officials echoed claims from Kiev that Russia had sent “operatives” into the disputed regions of Donetsk and Lugansk in eastern Ukraine, to prepare a “provocation” that could trigger an “invasion.”
CNN was the first to report the assertion, followed by the Guardian, Washington Post, Reuters, AFP and Bloomberg.
Washington has accused Moscow of planning to invade Ukraine for weeks now, though the Kremlin rejected this as “fake news.” Similar warnings have been publicized in US media every year since 2015, always based on anonymous sources, and have never come to pass.
The quotes from an anonymous US official apparently dovetailed with insinuations by US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan about Russia “laying the groundwork to have the option of fabricating a pretext for an invasion,” brought up at Thursday’s White House press briefing. Pentagon spokesman John Kirby referred to these claims at his own briefing on Friday, but then added the US assessment is that Russia hasn’t yet decided whether to invade.
Washington’s claims come after a week of high-level talks with Russia, NATO and the OSCE to discuss Moscow’s proposals for improving collective security in Europe. The US and its allies rejected Russia’s key proposals out of hand.
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