NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Sunday that Russia’s decision to prolong its military presence in Belarus, after the end of military maneuvers, is a sign that the Russian government is “preparing an invasion of Ukraine”.
In an interview with “CBS News”, Stoltenberg reacted to the announcement that Russia and Belarus had decided to extend the inspection time of forces that participated in their military exercises to after this Sunday, when the activities were scheduled to end.
“The fact that these exercises, which were supposed to end today, continue, fits with the idea that Russia is preparing for an invasion of Ukraine,” said the NATO secretary general.
Stoltenberg aligned himself with the position of the United States, whose president, Joe Biden, said on Friday that he believed Russian president Vladimir Putin had already made the decision to invade Ukraine.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also interpreted the extent of the maneuvers in Belarusian territory on Sunday as a sign that Russia is “about to invade” Ukraine, speaking to CNN.
Stoltenberg said the Russian and Belarusian exercises were “planned for last fall” and are instead taking place now, “in the midst of this significant military build-up around Ukraine”.
According to the Norwegian politician, these exercises are the biggest military deployment in Belarus since the Cold War. Since they began on February 10, these maneuvers have raised concerns among the Kiev government and its Western partners.
According to Stoltenberg, NATO is willing to “strengthen” even further its military presence east of the Alliance, to which Ukraine does not belong, in the event of a Russian invasion.
It was Belarusian Defense Minister Viktor Khrenin who announced on Sunday that Russia would prolong its military presence in Belarus, using tension in eastern Ukraine as a justification.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has previously denied plans to invade Ukraine, said this week that the Russian-Belarusian maneuvers are defensive in nature and do not threaten anyone.
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