Czech troops to strengthen NATO’s eastern borders
The Czech Republic plans to send 100 soldiers to NATO’s eastern flank to support the alliance's borders with Russia. This was announced on Sunday, February 21st, by Czech Defense Minister Martin Stropnicky, as reported by Reuters.
"We are talking about a company of soldiers, about nearly a hundred people who would join the contingent of the Alliance," Stropnicky said on Czech television, adding that the troops will arrive in Poland and the Baltic states later this year.
On February 10th, the Defense Ministers of NATO member states agreed on the need to strengthen Eastern Europe’s border with Russia due to the Kremlin’s aggressive foreign policy. According to the Secretary General of the Alliance, Jen Stoltenberg, the goal is to strengthen NATO’s presence in the east in order to deter “hybrid threats”.
NATO plans to send additional troops to Eastern Europe after the Alliance’s summit in Warsaw this summer.
NATO expects to send troops to Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, as well as Poland, Bulgaria and Romania. According to preliminary estimates, an additional 1,000 servicemen will be sent to each of the states.