Concentration of Russian troops provokes an involuntary renewal of NATO

The concentration of troops Russian near Ukraine is galvanizing the defenses of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in Europe that President Vladimir Putin wants to dismantle, giving the alliance a sense of renewal after the failures in Afghanistan.

Despite intense diplomacy with Russia, the United States and its NATO allies say they cannot consider the demands Moscow is making for security guarantees as it builds up troops near its neighbor’s border and conducts live-fire exercises in Belarus.

Instead, Western officials, diplomats and former officials say NATO – created in 1949 to deter the Soviet threat – is obliged to consider reinforcements that run counter to Putin’s demand that the alliance not expand further east. .

Neutral countries such as Finland and Sweden, which have deepened their collaboration with the Western alliance, have revived a debate on joining NATO.

French President Emmanuel Macron offered to send troops to Romania, an offer that was welcomed by the Romanian president, and there is a possibility that more NATO troops could be sent to the Black Sea region and the Baltic.

Although NATO is not bound by treaty to defend Ukraine, since the former Soviet republic is not a member, tensions with Russia have united member states around what a former alliance official called “a common sense of purpose.” ”.

It is a change of direction for an internationally criticized alliance after the chaotic Western withdrawal from Afghanistan in August, which a German politician called NATO’s “biggest debacle” since its creation.

“One of the things that strikes me about this is that Russia’s actions have precipitated exactly what President Putin says he wants to prevent,” US Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters this week before leaving. to Ukraine, where he said support for NATO entry had increased. “Certainly, NATO’s defensive posture will have to be further strengthened.”

This could mean more NATO troops, ships and aircraft in the Black Sea area and the Baltic and move from a troop rotation strategy to a permanent presence of forces there, including more US soldiers and weapons.

“I think that the transfer of additional capabilities by the United States to Europe is definitely on the way, because the situation demands it,” Lithuanian Defense Minister Arvydas Anusauskas said.

Troop decisions could be made as early as June’s NATO summit in Madrid, according to diplomats and officials, though a Moscow backtracking could lead to a pause.

Russia rejects Washington’s accusations that it is preparing to invade Ukraine and says it is free to train its troops anywhere on its territory. Moscow accuses NATO of threatening Europe’s stability with its policy of offering membership to Ukraine and Georgia, which Russia considers its backyard.

The Kremlin is demanding that NATO withdraw behind what its borders were before the nations of central and eastern Europe began to unite after 1997.