The command of the response team is currently in Turkey. Tensions between NATO and Russia are escalating as Russian troops are deployed on the Ukrainian border. According to the German Welt newspaper, NATO took the first concrete military step against Russia and started to make the rapid intervention force ready for the operation. In the news of the newspaper, it is stated that the unit called Joint Task Force with Very High Readiness Level (VJTF) within NATO will be ready to be deployed in the crisis region within five days.
The command of the VJTF, the fastest unit in NATO, is currently in Turkey. In the news, it is stated that Turkish troops are also standing by as the leading force and will be ready for the operation in two to seven days. The command of the VJTF, which Turkey took over from Poland last year, will pass to France at the beginning of next year. It is stated that the French troops will be ready for the operation within 45 days.
The VJTF is the fastest-moving unit of the multinational NATO Response Force (NRF), which consists of approximately 40,000 soldiers. Taking action in defense of the alliance and in crises around the world, the NRF most recently took part in evacuation operations in Afghanistan. The VJTF, which was established for deterrence after Russia’s annexation of Crimea, can mobilize approximately 20,000 soldiers in a short time and deploy them to the designated crisis area.
German Foreign Minister: Concern is high
The tension with Russia in the European Union also raises concerns. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, in a statement after meeting with her Luxembourg counterpart Jean Asselborn today, stated that her concern was “great” and said that Russia’s demands and suggestions were baseless. Baerbock continued, “It is obvious that we can only solve this great crisis through dialogue.”
Asselborn also stated that no one wants economic sanctions and military operations and that efforts to establish a structural dialogue should be strengthened.
Last week, Russia demanded that NATO formally stop its eastward expansion to reduce tensions on the border, and that the United States should stop establishing military bases in the former Soviet republics. However, NATO and Washington reject Moscow’s demands. With this move, Russia is trying to prevent Ukraine from becoming a NATO member.
AFP,dpa/HS,SSB
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