On Monday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance is considering a “longer-term” presence in Eastern Europe, a move that would increase tensions with Moscow.
“We are considering more longer-term adjustments to our posture, our presence in the eastern part of the alliance. No final decision has been made on that but there is a process now going on within NATO,” Stoltenberg said at a press conference with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
The comments come as Washington is engaged in negotiations with Moscow over Russia’s security proposals. One of Russia’s chief concerns is over NATO’s presence near its borders. “If Russia really wants less NATO close to the borders, they get the opposite,” Stoltenberg said.
NATO currently rotates troops in and out of some countries in eastern Europe, and Stoltenberg’s comments signal the alliance is looking to make its presence in the region more permanent. According to the NATO website, Stoltenberg said NATO is considering the “deployment of additional battlegroups to the south-eastern part of the Alliance,” which includes the Black Sea nations of Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey.
Stoltenberg’s comments came after President Biden ordered the deployment of about 2,000 troops to Poland and Romania. Poland announced that some troops from the US Army’s 82nd Airborne Division arrived in the country on Saturday and landed near the Poland-Ukraine border.
Stoltenberg welcomed the US deployment, calling it “a powerful demonstration of American commitment to our alliance. Other allies are also contributing more forces to NATO on land, in the air, and at sea.” The UK announced Monday that it was sending 350 troops to Poland, adding to the small contingent of about 100 British troops that are currently in the country.
Wow. The UK sends a whole 350 guys to Poland. Putin is trembling in fear as I type this. The 82nd Airborne troops would last five minutes if Putin decided to take out Poland. Stoltenberg is on his way out and in any event it’s the US who calls the shots on NATO, not that idiot.
I just noticed that you and I used the same adjective for Stolty; I didn’t copy you, honest. And yeah, putting an airborne outfit on the front lines is a definite symbol of a weakened US military.
Feel free to copy any insults from me to any of these characters. Here’s a free one: I call people “morons” all the time. It’s my favorite adjective. Use it any time you want (except directed at me, of course.) 🙂
well good news for Big Weapons inc.
The US controls NATO, especially the idiot Stoltenberg, of course, and so with this sabre-rattling the US gets a twofer — continued antipathy toward Russia which inflates the Pentagon budget, especially for Army, also Europe as a weakened competitor as Russia shuts off their needed supplies. It’s the standard US policy of “instability rules.”
Stoltenberg seems to be the Dictator of NATO.
More NATO expansion.
They want war? That is the only possible outcome of this thinking. It is how we got here.
Yes, Stoltenberg’s bluster and BoJo’s 350, given the extremely dangerous moment of this stand-off, do seem gratuitous. Both deserve a dope slap.
I don’t know if it’s just me but… NATO sounds bloody arrogant. They almost seem to be inviting trouble. It gives me the creeps.
Someone has too much time on their hands…
Stoltenberg sounds like a major a–wipe… You almost get the sense that this guy would totally get off on a major war.
I apologize for use of language and I did self edit but sometimes if the language fits, you have to use it. When I feel like we are staring down war, language can get the better of me. Again, my apologies…
I’m a peace activist but if I had Stoltenberg in front of me for five minutes, I would pulverize this guy………………………………………………………………………..