Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Foreign Minister of a member state NATO hold a meeting in the capital city Latvia, Riga, to discuss the response to the deployment military Russia on the border Ukraine on Tuesday (30/11).
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization held the special meeting amid Western concerns about the threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine in the near future.
“There is no clarity on Russia’s intentions but there is an unusual concentration of troops for the second time this year (towards the border with Ukraine),” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told AFP while visiting the alliance’s troops in Latvia.
“We saw armored vehicles, drone, warfare systems and tens of thousands of combat-ready troops (on the border near Ukraine),” he added.
Although not yet sure about the threat of invasion, the foreign ministers of NATO countries will still discuss contingency plans if a Russian attack occurs.
The US-led NATO alliance wants to show the Kremlin that Russia will face heavy losses if it does launch an attack on Ukraine again.
NATO officials hope today’s emergency meeting can produce concrete plans for additional military support for Ukraine and strengthening NATO forces in eastern Europe.
Rumors of a planned Russian invasion of Ukraine are increasingly worrying the United States and the European Union, especially after Kiev warned that a Russian invasion could take place as early as January.
White House sources have even said President Joe Biden’s administration is also preparing for a possible invasion by considering supplying Ukraine with new weapons ranging from combat vehicles to Javelin interceptor missiles.
“We don’t want to leave the impression that we are not responding to the serious consequences for Russia if they take the path we fear will happen,” a senior US official said.
“It is key to find the right signals and the right posture of prevention strategies that lead to de-escalation, not escalation,” he added.
Meanwhile, Russia, which annexed Crimea from Ukraine in 2014, has denied rumors of an invasion plan.
Moscow accuses NATO of only fueling tensions.
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