US to beef up NATO in Central and Eastern Europe: report
PR dla Zagranicy
Paweł Kononczuk
02.02.2016 15:00
US President Barack Obama plans to beef up the deployment of heavy weapons and armoured vehicles to NATO member countries in Central and Eastern Europe, The New York Times has reported.
Photo: Flickr.com/jfcbrunssum
The paper said that, according to administration officials, the move is designed to deter Russia from aggression in the region.
“It’s a huge sign of commitment to deterring Russia, and to strengthening our alliance and our partnership with countries like Ukraine, Moldova and Georgia,” the paper quoted Evelyn N. Farkas, until recently the Pentagon’s pointman on Russia and Ukraine, as saying.
The New York Times added that officials have said the White House plans to pay for the additional hardware with a budget request of over USD 3.4 billion for military spending in Europe next year, more than four times the current budget.
Poland, fearful of Russia, its giant neighbour to the east, has repeatedly pressed for more NATO forces to be stationed on its soil and in other Central and Eastern European countries.
Warsaw is due to host a NATO summit in July. (pk)