NATO Must Work Harder to Debunk Russia’s Claims of Provocation

NATO’s Summit in Warsaw, 8-9 July 2016 concluded with a range of of decisions to strengthen the Alliance’s deterrence and defence, and plans to project stability in the wider neighbourhood.

On the 8 July 2016 leaders decided to strengthen the Alliance’s military presence in the east, with four battalions in Poland, Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania on a rotational basis – to be in place starting in 2017.

NATO’s failure to clearly communicate its plans for the multinational battalions in Poland and the Baltics is doing nothing to counter Russian claims that they are unnecessary and provocative.

ESO: Background information: NATO Summit, Warsaw, 8-9 July 2016 http://www.europeansources.info/record/nato-summit-warsaw-8-9-july-2016/

ESO: Background information: NATO’s Eastern Flank – a new paradigm http://www.europeansources.info/record/natos-eastern-flank-a-new-paradigm/

Chatham House: Expert Comment, 02.11.16: New Troop Deployments Signal NATO Commitment to Baltics https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/new-troop-deployments-signal-nato-commitment-baltics

---