NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, affirmed this Sunday that Russia’s decision to prolong its military presence in Belarus, beyond the end of its military exercises, it is a sign that Russia is “preparing an invasion of Ukraine”.
In an interview with the CBS News network, Stoltenberg reacted to the announcement that Russia and Belarus have decided to extend the inspection time of the forces that have participated in their military exercises beyond this Sunday, when it was scheduled to end.
“The fact that these exercises, which were supposed to end today, are continuing fits in with the idea that Russia is preparing for an invasion of Ukraine,” the NATO secretary-general said.
Stoltenberg thus aligned himself with the position of the United States, whose president, Joe Biden, said on Friday that he believed that Russian President Vladimir Putin had already made the decision to invade Ukraine.
The US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, also interpreted this Sunday the extension of the maneuvers in Belarusian territory as a sign that Russia is “about to invade” Ukraine, in statements to the CNN network.
For his part, Stoltenberg argued that the exercises in Russia and Belarus were “planned for last fall” and instead are happening now, “in the midst of this significant military escalation around Ukraine.”
The maneuvers represent, according to the NATO secretary general, the largest military deployment in Belarus since the Cold War, and since they began on February 10 they have aroused concern in the Kiev government and its Western partners.
Stoltenberg insisted that NATO is ready to “further strengthen” its military presence on the eastern flank of the Alliance, to which Ukraine does not belong, in the event of a Russian invasion of that country.
It was the Minister of Defense of Belarus, Víctor Khrenin, who announced this Sunday that Russia will prolong its military presence in its territory beyond the maneuvers that take place near the border with Ukraine, and justified it by the tension in the Ukrainian east.
Khrenin cited the “Aggravation of the situation in Donbas” (this Ukrainian) and the “increased military activity” near the borders of Russia and Belarus, and assured that “in Europe it smells a lot like gunpowder”.
Putin, who has denied that he has plans to invade Ukraine, said this week that the Russian-Belarusian maneuvers are defensive in nature and do not threaten anyone. (I)
Source: Eluniverso
Paul is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment and general news. He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established herself as a respected voice in the industry.
