Tension Rise as NATO Announces Troop Deployment to Russia’s Backyard

NATO leaders recently announced plans to massively increase the alliance’s military presence in Eastern Europe. The move is a response to the 2014 Russian annexation of Crimea and recent troop buildup and activity along Russia’s Western border as well as increasing support for separatists in Eastern Ukraine. NATO’s hope is that the reinforcement will deter Putin from pursuing more policies of aggression in the region. Jens Stoltenberg, the NATO Secretary General, has stated that the force will be “multinational to make clear that an attack against one ally is any attack against all allies.”

According to the BBC, the United States has separate plans to quadruple its military spending for Europe. Pending congressional approval, the Pentagon’s “European Reassurance Initiative” budget will swell from $789m to $3.4bn.

The announcement of increased NATO and US involvement near Russia has reassured a number of Eastern European leaders. “Deterrence is what we are after,” said the defense minister of Latvia, which is one of the countries perceived to be most threatened by Russia’s military posturing. The exact framework, size and positioning of the rest of the force will be decided at the next meeting of NATO heads of state in June.

Unsurprisingly, Russia has vowed to respond to the NATO buildup. Most likely, there will be an influx of Russian troops in regions that border nations harboring Western forces. Moscow’s envoy to NATO, Alexander Grushko, announced on Russian television that the deployment “can’t be left without a military-technical answer.”

Rising tensions between Russia and the West prompted Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to equate the current situation to “a new Cold War.”