NATO considers that it is no longer bound by its former commitments to Moscow

The showdown continues between NATO and the Kremlin. Deputy head of the Atlantic Alliance, Mircea Geoana, said on Sunday that in the context of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Organization was no longer bound by its old commitments to Moscow not to deploy its forces in Eastern Europe. .

The Founding Act on relations between NATO and Russia, signed 25 years ago, provided, among other things, for measures aimed at “preventing any concentration of conventional forces”, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. But by attacking Ukraine and breaking off all dialogue with the Alliance, Russia has itself “invalidated the content of this Founding Act”, underlined Mircea Geoana in an interview with AFP in Vilnius.

NATO no longer has “any restrictions”

The Russians “undertook there not to attack the neighbours, that is what they are doing, and to hold regular consultations with NATO, which they are not doing”, a- he specified. The Founding Act “just doesn’t work, because of Russia”. According to the deputy head of NATO, the Alliance no longer has “any restrictions” to acquire a “robust posture on the eastern flank”.

In 2017, NATO already deployed multinational battle groups to the Baltic states and Poland to deter Russia, then sent reinforcements after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February. The Baltic States currently want an even greater NATO presence and are asking it in particular to develop brigades, instead of smaller battle groups.

NATO defense ministers will meet in mid-June to discuss the issue, and Alliance leaders are expected to endorse the decisions at a summit in Madrid later that month.