A day after Russia’s demand that NATO withdraw all troops and weapons from Eastern Europe, NATO has not yet officially responded. A senior NATO general would have internally suggested expanding the military presence to Bulgaria and Romania.
Russia brought the demands package went out yesterday. In addition to withdrawing from Eastern Europe, the Kremlin also demands a guarantee that Ukraine and other former Soviet states will never join NATO. Only then can the situation around Ukraine relax, says Russia.
In an initial response, a NATO diplomat said yesterday that Russia cannot veto expansion of the alliance. An American official also declined: “The Russians know that there are things in these documents that are unacceptable to us.”
The NATO leadership and the US political top have not yet commented on the package of demands.
Troops to Bulgaria and Romania
The German weekly Der Spiegel reports today that NATO General Tod Wolters wants to expand the military presence to two new countries: Bulgaria and Romania. The American top soldier is said to have said this during a video meeting with top soldiers from NATO countries.
According to Wolters, NATO’s presence in Eastern Europe must be expanded due to Russian troop build-up on Ukraine’s eastern border. NATO headquarters declined to comment on Der Spiegel’s message.
In this video you can see how tensions around Ukraine have risen sharply in recent times:
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