U.S Troops' Move To Poland Unnerves Kremlin
| WARSAW/MOSCOW
WARSAW/MOSCOW Poland on Thursday welcomed several thousand U.S. troops along with tanks and heavy equipment under a planned NATO operation to beef up its Eastern European allies, vexing the Kremlin, which said the troops' presence is a threat to Russia.
The largest U.S.military reinforcement of Europe in decades of around 2,700 troops, out of 3,500 planned, arrived as part of operation Atlantic Resolve, aimed at showing Moscow Washington's commitment to its allies.
"The main goal of our mission is deterrence and prevention of threats," U.S. Army Colonel Christopher R. Norrie, commander of the 3rd Armoured Brigade Combat Team, said at a welcome ceremony in Poland's western city of Zagan.
Poland and the Baltic former Soviet Republics requested U.S. and NATO troops after Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimea Peninsula in 2014, fearing further military operations in the region by President Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin, which has previously criticised NATO for its reinforcement in Eastern Europe, said on Thursday the deployment was an aggressive step along its borders.
"We consider this a threat to us," Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin's spokesman, told journalists on a conference call. "We are talking here about a third country stepping up its military presence in Europe near our borders."
MATTER OF INFLUENCE
Modernization of the army has been a key priority for Poland's year-old government run by the conservative Law and Justice (PiS) party, which built its popularity partly on promising greater security capabilities.
On Thursday, Polish Defence Minister Antoni Macierewicz said on the state TVP Info news channel that the NATO deployment puts an end to Russia's influence in the region.
"Even after 1989 we had to continuously wonder whether the Russians won't veto this or that action," said Macierewicz, who has been seeking better ties and contracts with the U.S. military.
"Russia's veto power in Central Europe, in Poland, has ended once and for all."
Moscow, however, has already deployed in retaliation nuclear-capable Iskander missiles in its European exclave of Kaliningrad, in a move the U.S. State Department said was "destabilising to European security."
The U.S. deployment to NATO's eastern flank includes more than 80 main battle tanks and hundreds of armored vehicles. The military unit will rotate through several countries, including Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Romania.
"Their arrival is just one small but meaningful example of how we are quickly building combat power here," Norrie said.
(Reporting by Andrew Osborn in Moscow and Anna Koper in Warsaw; Writing by Lidia Kelly in Warsaw; Editing by James Dalgleish)
Link...http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-poland-idUSKBN14W1E4
Upping the ante?
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The democratic party warmongers, which Obama champions, apparently want to lead this country to a third world war. These are evil people.
No more evil than past presidents when it comes to getting us into wars, Aeon.
I'll grant you this; my observation is subjective. Still, I'm actually inferring that since Reagan and the end of the cold war, it should have meant a de-escalation of military spending. The supposed "peace dividend" that never happened. What I see is both parties in collusion, regarding pushing military solutions to diplomatic problems. In other words, our governmental leaders are forcing the war option on the American people.
IMO, we didn't learn our lesson from Vietnam. And I do agree that both parties are responsible for the constant on going spending and getting us into more wars.
As far as the ''peace dividend'' goes, currently congress and Trump want to increase military spending. They should take a long hard look at a report by an independent firm that showed $125 billion wasted over 5 years. The DOD deep sixed the report.
It was WWII, then Korea that propelled the economy right up to the 60's and Vietnam. The militarily industrial complex has replaced consumer production which the corporations have been farmed out, overseas, along with those jobs. This is by design.
Kavika,
I am unclear as to what would provoke us by Russia to make us take this action. Could you please explain?
NATO countries have asked us to add to the NATO defenses. (Poland, Estonia, et al) the Baltic countries which Putin, IMO, will make an excuse to invade (Georgia, Ukraine). Plus many of the European countries are adding to their defense to work with NATO.
Exactly.
Remember what happened in Georgia right after we announced that we would not be moving missile defense systems into the Baltics?
There is no upside to war with Russia. Russia has been trying to regain their former position as a super power, has to do with national pride. It's a way to show the citizens that they are still important in the world, demonstrating this keeps Putin in power, as we are still considered evil by them as many of us still see them as evil. Cold War Mentality.
I do not understand why we are moving troops closer and closer to them. Russia has always felt better with 'buffer' states around them. I doubt they are going to invade anyone else right now, I think they got a beak-full when they invaded the Ukraine. Hopefully the new administration will spend more time trying to defuse as opposed to trying to provoke Russia.
I'm not as optimistic as you are Spike. I think that one way or another Russia will try to bring back the old Russian.
Russian military jets have been making flyovers in Finland, Norway, and a few other places, just to rattle their chains. I can see where the NATO countries are getting worried. While I certainly don't want war with Russia, I can see where we would help them beef up their security.
I agree, Dowser.
Lady Dowser - There will not be a war with Russia. They have too many supporters these days here in the US for it to come to that.
Good!!!
I remember that my great-grandmother sent her only winter coat to the Russians during their revolution...