Contents tagged with NATO

  • Lavrov: Iskander missile systems were deployed to Kaliningrad due to destructive actions of NATO

    Russia’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sergey Lavrov, stated in an interview with the Italian newspaper Corriere della Sera that the deployment of the Iskander-M missile systems to the Kaliningrad region was a result of the destructive actions of NATO.

    “Under the existing conditions, Russia, which faces the need to adapt to the changing environment of the continent, had to undertake a set of measures to strengthen their defense capabilities and national security,” Lavrov noted.

    He also stated …

  • Estonian President: Trump should support the Baltic States

    According to the President of Estonia, Kersti Kaljulaid, the stability of Estonia is a prerequisite for the stability of all countries of the North Atlantic alliance.

    "We have been helping to strengthen security in other world regions – in Afghanistan, Iraq, and today in Lebanon together with our Finnish partners, as part of UN missions all over the world for the last 20 years. We contributed to the security system based on shared values. And, we believe, it is absolutely clear – if there are …

  • NATO was aware of Russia’s plans to deploy Iskander missile systems to Kaliningrad

    NATO knew even before 2012 that Russia was planning to deploy Iskander missile systems to Kaliningrad because the previous-generation Tochka missile systems had become obsolete. However, Moscow is now describing the deployment of the missile systems as a response to the expansion of the alliance.

    Russia deployed the Iskander missile systems to Kaliningrad last month. The official representative from NATO negatively assessed the deployment of the Russian missile systems, stated the vice …

  • Russian goverment official: Russia will aim nuclear weapons at NATO facilities in response to aggression from the alliance

    Russia could aim its nuclear weapons at any NATO facility in response to aggressive actions by the alliance and NATO’s attempts to “draw into its orbit more and more countries,” the first deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Defense and Security, Franz Klintsevich, said to reporters.

    “In response to the aggressive actions of NATO, the attempts of the alliance to draw into its orbit more and more countries, Russia will give a harsh and unequivocal answer. We will aim our …

  • Stoltenberg: NATO's expansion is not a provocation

    The Secretary-General of NATO, Jens Stoltenberg, stated on Thursday that he doesn’t agree with Moscow’s opinion that the expansion of the alliance is provocative in nature.

    "No, I don’t understand the opinion that NATO’s expansion in central Europe is a provocative stance as is expressed in Russia," he said, while lecturing at Oxford University.

    Stoltenberg stressed that each country is free to choose its own way.

    "It is not NATO that is expanding, but Poland, Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, and …

  • Rumsfeld: Georgia's application for membership in NATO should be sped up

    According to former US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Washington should help Georgia become an active participant in NATO’s regional strategy, the Voice of America reported.

    Rumsfeld noted that Georgia can play an important role "in the strategies of any consortium within the framework of NATO regarding the protection of the Black Sea and the ‘New Europe’ from Russian adventurism."

    "Georgia is located on a major transport route leading from the Caspian Sea to America's allies in Europe. …

  • Belarus reported increase in military cooperation with the West

    Belarus has enhanced its military cooperation with NATO as was stated in an interview with the Belarusian Military Newspaper by the Deputy Chief of the International Military Cooperation Department of the Defense Ministry of the Republic, Dmitry Uporov.

    "International military cooperation with the west has enhanced significantly," he noted. "We continue our cooperation with NATO, both the international organization as a whole, and with individual members of the alliance in a bilateral format …

  • NATO begins deployment of multinational battalion to Poland

    NATO has begun the deployment of a multinational battalion in Poland, in accordance with the decision to establish such units in Poland and the Baltic Countries, allotting one for each state, the Polish Defense Minister, Antoni Macierewicz, said.

    "Their stationing has already begun. In January all units will be completed," he said, as reported by TASS.

    It is expected that 1,200 soldiers and officers, 1,000 of whom are US military personnel, will arrive in Poland. The battalion will be located …

  • US reconnaissance aircraft monitors Russian Navy's flotilla in the Mediterranean

    A US Navy P-8A Poseidon aircraft monitored the activities of the Russian flotilla in the Mediterranean Sea, Interfax reported, citing websites that track the movement of military aircraft.

    A Poseidon with tail number 168859 reportedly took off from the Sigonella airbase in Sicily, and proceeded to fly near the Russian Navy’s flotilla located south of Cyprus.

    Cases of US reconnaissance aircraft approaching Russian borders and military facilities have become more frequent over the last several …

  • NATO recognizes gaps in its defensive capability

    NATO-member countries have to fill certain gaps in their defensive capabilities, stated the chairman of the NATO Military Committee, General Petr Pavel in an interview with the television station SVS.  

    “We all realize that we should fill gaps, enhance deterrent capability and, when necessary, to defend. We know what these gaps are and should focus on filling them and maintaining the advantage in our military capabilities,” Pavel said.

    He added that, to achieve this, appropriate funding is …