Contents tagged with NATO

  • NATO to approve deployment of four new battalions along its eastern borders

    This week NATO will approve the deployment of four battalions to the Baltic States and Poland, according to Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

    “We are going to approve the deployment of four reinforced international battalions to the Baltics and Poland,” Stoltenberg said at a press conference before a meeting of the Defense Ministers of NATO countries.

    Each battalion will have between 500 and 1000 soldiers. NATO officials state that new military reinforcements are deployed in Eastern Europe …

  • Estonian PM: The constant presence of NATO troops should become the norm in our country

    The constant presence of NATO troops in the country should become a new reality for Estonia. Interfax reports that the Prime Minister of Estonia and Leader of the Reform Party, Taavi Rõivas, made statements to that effect at the recent Reform Party meeting.

    According to Rõivas, defense and allied relations should be strengthened because the security environment has become unstable and unpredictable and many previous signs of threat have become a reality. “Russia acts like an aggressor, which …

  • Second stage of NATO exercises begin in Lithuania

    The second part of NATO’s Gelezinis Vilkas 2016 military exercise have begun at the Gaižiūnai site in Lithuania. Germany, Denmark, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the US and France will participate in these large-scale exercises. RBC-Ukraine states that this was reported by the press service of the Lithuanian Ministry of Defense.

    “An international unit of the battalion level, which was established based on the Danish Armed Forces, will be tested during these exercises, which will then take on an …

  • Polish diaspora in the US calls on Obama to strengthen military presence in Poland

    Americans of Polish descent held a rally near the White House in Washington on the 11th of June, calling on the US government to strengthen the presence of US troops in Poland and in the Baltic countries.

    According to the organizers, 150 to 300 people attended the rally. They came from several states including New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland and Virginia. The demonstrators held both US and Polish flags, as well as banners that said “We demand a full NATO brigade in Poland” and “A …

  • Stoltenberg: Russia continues to support separatists in eastern Ukraine

    According to NATO Secretary General Jen Stoltenberg, Russia continues to support separatists in eastern Ukraine, Evropeyskaya Pravda reported.

    “Russia has a special responsibility because it continues to support the separatists in the Donbas. We see Russian troops in eastern Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said.

    "We are deeply concerned by the violations of the cease-fire. We are also concerned about the large number casualties in the east of Ukraine in recent days. For me this is a signal that we …

  • NATO's Saber Strike exercises begin in Estonia

    The Saber Strike 2016 international military exercises have begun in Estonia. Approximately 10,000 soldiers will participate, of which 1,500 are from the US. The remaining soldiers come from Estonia, Denmark, Great Britain, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Luxembourg, Norway, France, Slovenia, Finland and Germany. The exercises are being held under the leadership of the US Army in Europe.

    The Saber Strike 2016 consists of several stages. The tactical stages will occur at the central polygon of the …

  • Financial Times: Poland and the Baltic States plan to create a regional air defense system

    The Minister of National Defense of Lithuania, Juozas Olekas, stated in an interview with the Financial Times that Poland and the Baltic States are negotiating the creation of a regional air defense system for protection from Russia.

    According to Olekas, Poland, Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are discussing this initiative in response to the strengthening of Russian military forces in Kaliningrad and on the western borders.

    Such an air defense system is expected be commissioned in two to three …

  • Lithuanian Ambassador in Kiev: Cooperation between Ukraine and NATO continues to increase

    Marius Janukonis, Lithuania's Ambassador to Ukraine, stated in an interview with Apostrof that recently, the level of cooperation between NATO and Ukraine has increased significantly. The country appears certain of counting on the Alliance’s support in modernizing its defense system.

    "There are more events, more Ukrainian servicemen engaged in military exercises at NATO standards, more servicemen involved in joint exercises,” a diplomat described.

    “A serious reform of the Ukrainian Defense …

  • Polish President: NATO Summit will provide an opportunity to strengthen the Alliance's eastern flank

    The President of Poland, Andrzej Duda, expects that the NATO summit in Warsaw will create an opportunity to strengthen the eastern flank of the Alliance. The head of the Polish State said stressed on the 10th of June during his speech at the University of Copenhagen that NATO can’t hesitate in making this decision.

    “The deployment of NATO forces in Poland and the Baltic countries is a guarantee of safety for this part of Europe and if we look at historical maps then we can freely say that …

  • Finnish PM: Finland's NATO membership should be determined by a referendum

    Finland may apply for NATO membership, but it will require broad support from the local population, as stated by Prime Minister Juha Sipilä, speaking at a party congress in the city of Seinäjoki.

    "I consider it is important, that if one day we will come to this decision, a referendum will be held," Sipilä said.

    "This does not mean that those who make decisions in the country are transferring their responsibilities [to the people], this means that they understand that such a big decision …