The expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is Russian President Vladimir Putin’s justification for concentrating more than 100,000 troops near the border with Ukraine. Citing security concerns, he demands that the alliance return to pre-1997 positions, when several former communist bloc countries began to join NATO, and a permanent ban on Ukrainian entry into the alliance.
And why does this escalation occur at this moment? The main reason given is that by the end of the year, an Aegis Ashore missile defense system should come into operation at a base in Redzikowo, Poland. According to the Pentagon, this structure will be managed first by the US Navy, then by the US Command in Europe and then it will be under the responsibility of NATO.
Another base has the same system in place in Deveselu, Romania, since 2016, and is already controlled by the Western military alliance. However, the Polish base worries Moscow more, as it is closer to Russia.
Despite being defensive systems, which the United States and allies claim are being deployed to deter ballistic missiles launched by Iran and other enemies of the West, Putin expressed distrust because Tomahawk missiles use the same launchers as Aegis Ashore systems.
“There are anti-missile launchers in Poland and Romania, there are MK-41 launchers there, on which you can put Tomahawks, which are no longer anti-missile defense, but offensive weapons systems, which will cover our territory for thousands of kilometers. Isn’t that a threat to us?”, asked the Russian president in early February.
Although he dismissed the veto on Ukraine’s NATO membership, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken reported in January that, in written response to Moscow’s demands, Washington had presented proposals to improve “reciprocal transparency” between Russia and the United States. West regarding the “Postance of Forces in Ukraine” and military exercises in the region, as well as propositions that address the allocation of missile systems in Europe and arms control. However, analysts point out that closing bases in Poland and Romania is out of the question.
According to Bloomberg, the Biden administration has informed the Kremlin that it is willing to discuss a way for Russia to verify that there are no Tomahawk missiles at defense bases in Romania and Poland.
In an interview with the New York Times, Thomas Graham, who was senior director for Russia at the National Security Council under George W. Bush, said that “the current crisis is really much broader than Ukraine.”
“Ukraine is a leverage point, but [a crise] it’s more about Poland, Romania and the Baltic countries. The Russians think it’s time to revise the post-Cold War deal in Europe to their advantage.”
#Secret #base #Poland #motivates #Putins #reaction #Ukraine