A day after Russia demanded that NATO withdraw all troops and weapons from Eastern Europe, NATO has yet to officially respond. A senior NATO general was to propose internally extending the military presence to Bulgaria and Romania.
Yesterday Russia issued a package of demands. In addition to withdrawing from Eastern Europe, the Kremlin is also demanding guarantees that Ukraine and other former Soviet states will never join NATO. Only then can the situation around Ukraine calm down, Russia says.
In an initial response, a NATO diplomat said yesterday that Russia cannot veto the expansion of the alliance. A US official also refused: “The Russians know that these documents contain things that are unacceptable to us.”
The NATO command and the US political leadership have yet to comment on the package of demands.
Troops to Bulgaria and Romania
German weekly Der Spiegel reported today that NATO General Todd Walters wants to expand the military presence to two new countries: Bulgaria and Romania. It is said that the highest US soldier said this during a video meeting with senior soldiers from NATO countries.
According to Walters, NATO’s presence in Eastern Europe should be expanded due to the build-up of Russian forces on the eastern border of Ukraine. NATO headquarters declined to comment on Der Spiegel’s message.
In this video, you can see how tensions over Ukraine have risen sharply lately:
