The fruits of Russia’s “victory”….
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/n...rder-qj6lg25vp
Nato risks Russian anger with plan to deploy 4,000 troops on border
Nato is drawing up long-term plans to reinforce the alliance’s southeastern flank against Russian aggression with up to four new battlegroups, starting with a deployment to Romania. Defence ministers will discuss the plan in Brussels today in what would be Nato’s biggest escalation of “force posture” against Russia in six years.
Moscow will be angered by the proposal, which has yet to be formally agreed by Nato, because it clashes with Russian demands for the alliance to withdraw troops from eastern Europe.
Military planners are examining the deployment of four multinational battle groups of 1,000 troops each to Romania and Bulgaria, possibly followed by Slovakia and Hungary. There are fears in the latter two countries that the new deployments would enrage Moscow.
Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary-general, described the latest proposals, on top of recent reinforcements in the region, as a consequence of the “lasting impact of the security situation in Europe” of Russian aggression against
Ukraine.
“Nato defence ministers will address the need to further increase our defensive posture,” he said. “Nato is not only responding to the current crisis but we are also going to consider more long-term adjustments to our posture in the east.”
The plans are an extension of the “enhanced forward presence” deployment of battle groups in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia and Poland which are backed by tanks, air defences and intelligence and surveillance units….
Alliance defence ministers are expected to agree to the first step of directing military commanders to come up with a detailed plan for the four battle groups. A senior Nato diplomat said: “There will be a tasking that allows us to escalate but also to de-escalate if Russia pulls back its military.”
The new battle groups are a longer-term shift on top of ground and air reinforcements from Britain, the US, which is sending 2,000 troops to Romania, and other Nato allies….
French officials said that designing the new battle groups and their composition would take time after agreement by Nato ministers. “We are basically aiming for a deadline of a few months,” an official said.….