NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg has demanded that Russia withdraw its forces and military hardware from Ukraine.
Stoltenberg said after a meeting of NATO defence ministers with their Ukrainian counterpart in Brussels on Wednesday.
“Russia needs to stop supporting the militants and withdraw its forces and military equipment from Ukrainian territory.”
He said the alliance would continue to stand by the government in Kiev and would never recognise Russia’s “illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea” two years ago.
The Ukrainian territory of Crimea was annexed by the Russian Federation on the 18th of March 2014. Since then, the peninsula has been administered as the de facto Crimean Federal District, constituting two Russian federal subjects—the Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol.
The annexation followed a military intervention by Russia in Crimea, which took place in the aftermath of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution and was part of wider unrest across southern and eastern Ukraine.
The Russian Federation opposes the “annexation” label with Putin defending the referendum as complying with the principle of self-determination of peoples. In July 2015, Russian prime minister Dmitry Medvedev said that Crimea had been fully integrated into Russia.
NATO is to deploy four battalions to Poland and the Baltic states as part of a push back against Russia’s intervention in Ukraine, alliance head Jens Stoltenberg said Monday.
“We will agree to deploy by rotation four robust, multinational battalions in the Baltic states and Poland. This will send a clear signal that NATO stands ready to defend any ally.”
Russia’s annexation of the Crimea in 2014 and its support for ethnic Russian rebels in eastern Ukraine has made Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia increasingly anxious about their own security.
Asked about the possibility of an Russian attack, Lithuania’s Defence Minister Juozas Olekas told Reuters:
“We cannot exclude it. They might exercise on the borders and then switch to invasion in hours.”
NATO already operates a Baltic air-policing mission, this takes the form of air defence ‘Quick Reaction Alert’ in order to guard the airspace over the three Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
NATO stressed that the deployment, to be made on a rotational basis is not permanent so as not to infringe existing treaties with Russia, was part of a much wider response to the Ukraine crisis which includes tripling the NATO Response Force to 40,000 men ready to move at short notice, creating a Spearhead Force of about 5,000 on a just few days’ standby.
Not a bad idea, but if you demand something you need to have a good answer to the inevitable question .. ‘Or else what?’
NATO exercises are good at signalling determination that members will stand by their article 5 commitment (to both Russia and nervous Eastern Europe member states) , but that does not extend to Ukraine so why demand something you do not intend to push for?
And I want world peace XD
Here we go…… But strength is the only thing that Russia recognises…. But I do wonder about….. And then what?
So, the Ukraine votes to side with Russia, not the EU. The EU funds a coup, the elected government is ousted, civil (proxy) war ensues…with Russian support on one side, and EU and US the other. Now we want the Russians to withdraw troops?. This is NOT our war.
Utter stupidity right there. Voter turnout was less than 15% in Crimea, that should say everything. Which way do you think the few who voted would go – with armed Russian guards watching the election?
Then again, you also believed all the claims by the pro-Brexit camp – so I am honestly unsure of your ability to have a rational thought process.
Sorry, meant to say there was only 15% support for annexation reflected in the vote. http://www.forbes.com/sites/paulroderickgregory/2014/05/05/putins-human-rights-council-accidentally-posts-real-crimean-election-results-only-15-voted-for-annexation/
Official Kremlin results: 97 percent of polled voters for annexation, turnout 83 percent, and 82 percent of total Crimean population voting in favor.
President’s Human Rights Council mid-point estimate: 55 percent of polled voters for annexation, turnout 40 percent, 22.5 percent of total Crimean population voting in favor.
Yeah. Something is wrong here.
A bit late
I don’t think Russia will listen
Oooooo bet Russia is really scared
They should be! Putin is subjecting his country to many years of isolation. Back to Soviet times then! The West will just sit back and watch Russia become a poor state again.
They won’t do that they want to control more counties
Ukraine is only a NATO partner, not a member, NATO has no treaty obligations with them.
Name a Dictator who could be reasoned with,& who didn’t distract their own countries problems with expansion/conflict abroad. No!! Then a conflict of wills is on its way. The earlier the line is drawn, then the sooner the show down & consequently a reduction in the conflict/ conflagration. The Cuban missile crisis is an example. Although in those days both leaders had each lived through horror!! Let’s hope Putin has a knowledge of his own history!!
Can’t imagine the Russians are particularly worried about that demand as we can’t act on it.
I wasn’t aware NATO was anything more than a military alliance, how long have they been making political decisions?
Alastair Scott where’s the EU? Tell me that son.
I am not sure you can call Putin a dictator. He has a consistently higher approval rating than any western leader and has won at least 3 elections (which were no more rigged than the average US election). Are Trump and Clinton any better?
So umm, what about the last Russian election when he arrested more than 100 opposition members?
Strange how we were recently told that leaving the EU could contribute to war in Europe, now we find that NATO probably at the behest of the EU is sending demands to Russia, so this is what all the NATO exercises in Northern Europe has been for. Showing the flag and beating the drums, our fault is it for wanting “our freedom”!
I think this tells us everything we need to know about NATO and the reality of how strong it is. It took more than a year before they issued this statement, i assume because of infighting over the content etc.
It makes you wonder what would happen if another member was really attacked by someone, would the others respond or would they dither until its too late.
We do not have to fight Russia with bombs, we can do it with the price of a barrel of Brent and sit back.
Oh so we havnt just Brushed it under the carpet
Sabre rattling the auld enemy ?
Let’s be careful…
Posted June 17th…
june… old news
3 years too late
How about we just fucking withdraw??
Our army, navy and RAF in shit state and still we consider ourselves world players???
Yeah.. good one ??
Yeah…….good luck with that one!
Door Horse Bolted
Kremlin hybrid war…. Azerbaijan, Moldova, Chechnya, Georgia, Syria and Ukr…. Who next ?
And Russia will tell NATO to sod off. What then?
Next few weeks will be interesting still our new PM is meeting Putin soon coincidence?
Do you think it’s good enough to say “coincidence?” without offering any idea as to why it might be interesting?
They will never do it they want all of it , then they will move on to other counties to make a buffer zone
Lol like they are going to listen.
Or else?
Might as well ask chinese to get of those islands while we at it……
Or nato will…………..
NATO demands Russia withdraw from Ukraine- that was the headline story.
So I said the next few weeks will be interesting – as in Russia’s reply which I would find interesting, I would have thought my comment would have been self explanatory and would not require any further explanation taking into consideration the headline story but in your case obviously not.
Dave Potts
How about holding an election?…oh yes, they tried that, but it wasn’t the result the EU wanted, was it? ⚔
Putin is drug addict, strong abuser of cocain, he will push the button, i know russians pritty well, if they
crazy then crazy they are!