BRUSSELS, Jan 24 NATO will strengthen its presence in Eastern Europe in connection with the situation around Ukraine «NATO allies are alerting forces and sending additional ships and military aircraft to locations in Eastern Europe, thus strengthening deterrence and defense against the backdrop of Russia's continued buildup of forces in and around Ukraine,» the alliance's website said. listed there. In particular:
- —Denmark sends a frigate to the Baltic and four F-16 fighter jets to Lithuania;
- —Spain is sending ships and is thinking about sending fighters to Bulgaria;
- —France has announced its readiness to transfer forces to Romania;
- —The Netherlands sends two F-35 fighters to Bulgaria and puts the ship and ground forces on alert;
- —The United States is exploring the possibility of expanding its military presence on the eastern flank of the alliance.
In recent months, Western media have increasingly reported that Moscow is preparing an «invasion» of Ukraine. The Russian side has repeatedly refuted them and emphasized that such statements are being used to build up the troops of the North Atlantic bloc near its borders. Why did the State Department urge Americans to leave Ukraine?