Ukraine ceasefire to increase Russian threat in Baltic region, ministers warn

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The ceasefire in Ukraine will sharply increase security for the Baltic States, as Russia will continue to re-register and reallocate troops on the north-eastern edge of NATO, the region’s defense ministers have warned.

Before restoring independence in the 1990s, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania were discovered by the Soviet Union. The Baltic peoples note that the Kremlin is already planning military production and additional troops along its borders.

“We all understand that when the Ukrainian war will be stopped, Russia will quickly reject its forces,” said Estonian Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur in his financial times. “This means that the level of threats will increase significantly significantly.”

His Lithuanian partner Dovil Šakalienė made such statements when at the beginning of the week was in the UK.

“Let’s have no illusions. Let’s not harden ourselves that Russia is going to do after Ukraine, “he said. “This time Russia will use the ceasefire to speed up its military opportunities. They already have a huge, trained army army that is going to grow older. “

The Trump administration has held talks to both Russia and Ukraine to end the war with Ukraine, but the full ceasefire is still far away. Before Kiev agreed with the immediate termination of hostilities in the Black Sea and with the support of the United States, Moscow has so far promised to stop the attacks on energy infrastructure, saying that the West should comply with the Black Sea transaction.

The combat stoppage would allow Russia to fulfill its 2022 to raise 1.5 million strong army. Add Northern North Army Corps: doubling the number of troops near Finland and Baltic.

Pevkur noted that about 600,000 Russian troops in Ukraine, which are currently being assessed in Ukraine, will probably be restored. “These people will not return to different parts of Russia, to harvest or do anything else, because they are like five to 10 times more than those who could reach their hometown.”

The Baltic states are particularly concerned about large-scale military exercises, which is known as Zapad, which will be held in Russia and Belarus this fall. Every four years have been clashed to the conflict with NATO countries every four years and include tens of thousands of troops, tanks, plane and artillery.

Both ministers have warned to redistribute NATO troops from their countries to form the so-called European “strength”, which will be sent to the post-Soviet Ukraine as being offset.

“We cannot endanger the security of the Eastern NATO section,” said Pevkur. “We cannot fall into a trap that our forces are in some way enshrined in Ukraine. Then we will have risks. “

The peoples of NATO’s East Flank, including Poland and Rumin, have said that they cannot impose troops in Ukraine. Estonia also opposed Britain’s planned to redistribute British forces to Ukraine, which were allocated for the Baltic defense.

Lithuania is currently being protected by the German Brigade, which will be placed on its land in the coming months, Latvia is protected by the multilateral force of Canada and Estonia, which can be notified short from Great Britain.

“At the moment, we have received a thousand huge troops in Britain at the moment,” said British Defense Minister John Heyley this week. “This consistent ondonclad commitment to Estonia will continue, and it will continue because Estonia and our troops are on the forefront of NATO.”