NATO intends to strengthen its military presence in the Black Sea region
According to NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow, the Alliance intends to strengthen its military presence in the Black Sea region, RBC-Ukraine reported, with reference to Deutsche Welle.
Vershbow explained that the aggressive actions of the Russian Federation on the one hand, and the “instability and violence on the southern borders of the Alliance that threaten to spill over onto its territory in the form of terrorism and uncontrolled migration" on the other, pose a "challenge to international law and the sovereignty of neighboring states.”
The Deputy Secretary General also noted that Russia’s annexation of the Crimea has jeopardized the energy security of Ukraine.
Russian aggression and security along NATO’s southern borders will be discussed at the forthcoming summit in Warsaw in July. Vershbow stressed that a decision will be reached on strengthening the security of NATO member states at the summit.
On Wednesday, at the NATO-Russia Council meeting, the Alliance’s Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, said that “profound disagreements” remain between NATO and Russia.
On Thursday, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko announced that Ukraine and Romania agreed on the need to create a NATO-led Black Sea naval fleet.