NATO requires withdrawal of Russian troops and heavy equipment

NATO Defence Ministers meet today to discuss what NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described as “the most serious security crisis we have faced in Europe for decades”. Stoltenberg said there were signs from Moscow that diplomacy should continue which gives grounds for cautious optimism. However he said that so far NATO has seen no sign of de-escalation on the ground where Russia has amassed a fighting force in and around Ukraine that is unprecedented since the Cold War. Asked to define what NATO would consider to be de-escalation, Stoltenberg said it would require a substantial withdrawal of troops, but also equipment, “what we have seen before is that they go in with heavy equipment and troops take out some troops, and then they can easily move them back in again, after just a few days on very short notice. So we need to see is a significant withdrawal of forces and heavy equipment.” ‘Stop preparing for war and start working for a peaceful solution’ While everything is now in place for a new attack, Stoltenberg implored Russia to stop preparing for war and start working for a peaceful solution. NATO remains ready to discuss its relations with Russia, including the situation in and around Ukraine, and risk reduction, transparency and arms control, but it is not willing to compromise on its core principles: “Every nation has the right to choose his own path. There will never be first class and second class members of NATO. We are all NATO allies,” said Stoltenberg. In the meantime, the alliance increased its readiness of its response force and boost battle groups in the Baltic region. Stoltenberg welcomed the offer of the French to lead a new NATO battlegroup in Romania. Defence ministers will meet with colleagues from Ukraine and Georgia to discuss the worsening security situation in the Black Sea region. They will also meet with Finnish, Swedish and European Union representatives to further strengthen NATO EU cooperation. Ministers will review burden sharing across the Alliance and showed the need to invest. “We welcome that our latest figures show seven consecutive years of increased defence spending across Europe and Canada with $270 billion extra since 2014,” said Stoltenberg.