Some 20,000 troops are to be deployed to one of the three countries if there is a threat, according to a proposal seen by the Washington Post.
Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia are actively seeking an enhanced NATO presence in Eastern Europe amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, The Washington Post reported on Tuesday, citing a joint proposal from the three countries obtained by the media. A division-sized force of about 20,000 soldiers should be put on standby to be quickly deployed to one of the countries in the event of a threat, indicates the document which has not been officially released, according to the Washington Post.
The Baltic states cite a potential threat from Moscow as the reason for the buildup. “Russia can quickly mass military forces against NATO’s eastern border and confront the Alliance with a short war and a fait accompli,” says the document, adding that “Russia’s direct military aggression against NATO allies cannot be ruled out.”
The proposal is to increase the military bloc’s presence in each of the three countries to 6,000 troops from the 2,000 who were stationed there before the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine in February. Thousands of additional troops, including “facilitator” units that would provide air defense and other forms of protection must be on standby elsewhere to come to the aid of nations in times of crisis.
Each of the Baltic states must also house enough NATO military equipment for a full division of 20,000 troops if the military bloc approves the plan.
Other NATO members appear to be split on the proposal to boost military deployments, reports The Washington Post. While citing Poland among those backing the idea, the outlet adds that Western European countries like France and Italy are skeptical of the alleged Russian threat. The issue was on the agenda of NATO foreign ministers’ meeting in Berlin this weekend and diplomats have so far only agreed to discuss it further.
Poland already hosts more than 10,000 American soldiers, against 4,500 before the start of the Russian offensive. The United States also increased its presence in Europe from 60,000 to over 100,000 troops in response to Moscow’s actions. However, many of these soldiers live in makeshift barracks unsuitable for long-term deployments, the newspaper reports.
French President Emmanuel Macron argues that European nations will have to work with both Russia and Ukraine to end the conflict. “We will have a peace to build tomorrow”, Macron told reporters last week, later adding that “we are not at war with Russia.”
Other Western European countries believe that an increased presence on NATO’s eastern flank would draw attention to other threats such as terrorism or illegal immigration, which is an urgent concern for countries like Italy and Spain.
“We don’t see that the war in Ukraine is something that should bring the needle back to Russia’s defense and deterrence,” he added. an unnamed Western European official told the Washington Post.
According to the outlet, some Eastern European countries are also calling on NATO to officially withdraw from the 1997 Founding Act between the military bloc and Russia, which limits NATO’s permanent deployments to the EU. east of Germany. The United States and its allies in Western Europe are wary of the idea because they argue it remains a useful framework for potential dialogue between Moscow and the military bloc.
The Baltic states and Poland believe they should act quickly because support for their aspirations to step up a military deployment could dwindle significantly if the conflict in Ukraine ends.
“As soon as this is over, many of our partners in Western Europe will be very eager to return to the status quo ante. Some of the statements and the general spirit that we are seeing right now might just fade away,” an official told the Washington Post on condition of anonymity.
“We wouldn’t like that because we think we’ve seen a tectonic shift” in the attitude of other NATO countries towards the security of the military bloc, the official added.
A decision on the proposal is expected to be made at a NATO summit in Madrid scheduled for late June, reports The Washington Post. The meeting will also see states take a preliminary decision on the membership applications of Finland and Sweden.
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