US to reinforce NATO's eastern flank
Total of 4,000 US troops to be stationed in eastern Europe on a constant basis, US Deputy Secretary of State Blinken says
ANKARA
A combat brigade consisting of 4,000 soldiers will be stationed in Eastern Europe to ensure a constant presence, according to the U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Antony Blinken Friday.
Speaking after a meeting with Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski in Warsaw, Blinken said the fight against threats on the eastern and southern regions of Europe was one of NATO’s responsibilities.
"We have raised them [costs] from $790 million to $3.4 billion, thanks to which we can provide a whole division in Europe with facilities. On the east wing, a combat brigade consisting of 4,000 soldiers will be stationed, which will ensure a constant rotational presence in Europe,” he said.
He added that around 25,000 NATO troops would participate in the upcoming military exercises in June this year in Poland.
The next NATO Summit will take place on July 8 and 9 in Warsaw.
Polish Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz said Wednesday that Russia was being aggressive towards Ukraine and the European region as a whole.
"We are seeing aggression by one state against another, as well as an occupation. Crimea is occupied, part of Donbass is also occupied,” Macierewicz told a Polish broadcaster.
Stating that Poland had always pressed for more NATO support for Ukraine's security, he said: "Ukraine was so close to NATO membership, but it was blocked."
"If Ukraine would have achieved it, the country would not have been invaded by the Kremlin," he added.
In March 2014, Putin signed into law a deal, according to which Ukraine’s autonomous Republic of Crimea joined the Russian Federation, following a referendum held in the peninsula. The move was strongly opposed by Ukraine, EU, and the U.S., which put in place sanctions on Moscow.
The Donbass region consists of Luhansk and Donetsk, where Russian-backed separatist forces have been fighting Ukrainian government troops since 2014.
In February 2015, the warring sides agreed to a cease-fire deal that involved the withdrawal of heavy weapons and foreign troops and government control of the border with Russia by the end of the year.
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