America’s decision to deploy approximately 3,000 soldiers to Romania, Poland, and Germany is proof that Moscow is right to be concerned about Russia’s security, the Kremlin said on Wednesday.
Speaking to CNN, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson was reacting to an earlier announcement by US Department of Defense Press Secretary John Kirby, who announced that President Joe Biden had approved a decision to send thousands of American troops to Europe in response to “Russia’s continuing build-up of forces on its western border with Ukraine and in Belarus.”
“The current situation demands that we reinforce the deterrent and defensive posture on NATO’s eastern flank,” Kirby said. “President Biden has been clear that the United States will respond to the growing threat to Europe’s security and stability. Our commitment to NATO Article Five and collective defense remains ironclad.”
However, according to Dmitry Peskov, this announcement further gives traction to the idea that Russia is under threat from the US-led military bloc.
“US de facto is continuing to pump up tension in Europe,” he said. Peskov added that the deployments are “the best proof that we, as Russia, have an obvious reason to be worried.”
Russian troop buildup ‘largest since cold war’ – NATO
RT
The buildup of Russian forces in Belarus is the largest number stationed in the country since the end of the Cold War, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg claimed on Thursday.
In a statement made following a meeting with North Macedonia Prime Minister Dimitar Kovacevski, Stoltenberg accused Russia of sending combat units numbering “30,000 people,” including Spetsnaz special forces, to Belarusian training grounds.
Significant numbers of troops have been deployed to Belarus in the last few weeks, which Stoltenberg has described as the highest concentration of Russian soldiers seen in the area for decades. Among the deployed weaponry are S-400 air defense systems and Iskander mobile short-range ballistic missile systems, as well as fighter jets.
The sudden increase of the Russian troop presence in Belarus coincides with the upcoming ‘Union Resolve 2022’ drills, joint exercises which will see soldiers from both countries working together from February 10.
NATO views this operation as warfare activity, particularly since Russia will not disclose the precise number of troops it has deployed, with Moscow claiming they will be removed when the drills end on February 20. On Thursday, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu arrived at the training site for inspections, a week before exercises are due to start.
Union Resolve 2022 comes as tensions on the Russian border remain high, with Moscow accused of massing soldiers and military hardware near Ukraine. This, according to NATO, combined with the buildup of soldiers in Belarus, is a serious cause for concern. The US-led bloc has repeatedly called for Moscow to de-escalate.
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