NATO is considering troop reinforcements in Romania and Bulgaria

Updated December 18, 2021 at 7:28 p.m.

• NATO can strengthen its forces in Romania and Bulgaria.
• Todd Walters, NATO’s top commander, is said to have suggested this in a secret video link with the military leaders of the partner countries.

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According to a media report, NATO is considering strengthening its own troops east of the coalition territory as Russian troops are deployed along the Ukrainian border. As “Spiegel” announced on Saturday, NATO’s top commander recently proposed a NATO presence in a video switch, similar to the one in the Baltic states and Poland, as part of an advanced forward reserve mission. Romania And to significantly strengthen Bulgaria.

US General Todd Walters has demanded that NATO set up its own contingent of about 1,500 men in Bulgaria and Romania, as in the Baltic states, to train with the armies there and serve as “bridgehead” in emergencies. For further reinforcement. According to Spiegel, several NATO diplomats said the plan would be discussed at the next meeting of NATO defense ministers, and that an agreement would be reached at the NATO summit in Madrid at the end of June.

Officially, NATO does not want to confirm internal discussions in response to “Spiegel” inquiries. Ona Longus, a spokeswoman for NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, did not respond to a request for comment. He said NATO would remain “vigilant” and take “all necessary measures” to protect NATO partners from any threat.

500 Armed Forces in Lithuania

In early 2017, NATO began transferring troops to three Baltic states and Poland. The creation of an improved forward presence was justified as a sign of solidarity with the four NATO nations, which, after annexing the Ukrainian peninsula Crimea to Russia, threatened Moscow with their own security.

NATO units in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland each have about a thousand soldiers; Sortings are done on a rotational basis. Bundeswehr currently participates in the association with about 500 players in Lithuania and assumes its leadership. New Defense Minister Christine Lambrecht (SPD) is expected to arrive abroad on Sunday for her first troop visit. (br / afp)