Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov announced again today that his government intends to do more to help with NATO’s struggling occupation of Afghanistan, though following his talks with NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen the Russian FM stopped short of offering any specifics.
Recent reports, however, suggest the exact extent to which Russia is committed to joining the war effort is open-ended, with some suggesting that the nation may even be willing to deploy troops, formalizing their participation in the occupation.
Which would undoubtedly be seriously controversial, as many still remember the nation’s devastating 9 year occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s. With NATO’s own occupation entering its 10th year and death tolls rising precipitously, many will question the wisdom of Russia getting involved.
But the nation is said to be using the offer of aid to try to negotiate some concessions from NATO, which after so many years is struggling to find troops to throw at the occupation. Reports suggest Russia may demand limitations on NATO deployments in Eastern Europe as a condition for any aid it provides.
