The fact that Russia is increasing its military presence on the border with Ukraine worries the Baltic states, which feel like a “NATO peninsula.”
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas recently told Reuters that the Baltic states are in talks with the North Atlantic Alliance to increase NATO’s military presence in their territory to counter possible Russian aggression.
“Of course, we are discussing with our allies to increase their presence here to act as a deterrent,” Kallas said. “If you look at the map, the Baltic states are a NATO peninsula, and therefore we have our worries.”
She called for constructive negotiations with Moscow and let the Kremlin know that the escalation of the situation in Ukraine will result in a high price because of economic sanctions. At the same time, she said that the West is not doing anything wrong now and is not forming armed groups to attack Russia.
At the same time, Russia is building up its military presence on the border with Ukraine. It demands that NATO not deploy troops in the eastern countries of the alliance. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, on the other hand, says that strengthening the alliance’s military presence in eastern countries would be considered in case of Russian aggression against Ukraine.
A NATO diplomat has told Reuters that the presence of additional troops in the Baltic states could be discussed at a meeting of NATO defense ministers in mid-February.
