Germany May Send Military Aid To Eastern Europe In Response To Russia’s Actions
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The German defence ministry is considering providing military assistance to some eastern European members of the NATO defence alliance, in order to assuage fears of further Russian aggression following their actions in Crimea, reported Der Spiegel over the weekend.
The defence ministry in Berlin could send up to six air force planes to patrol the Baltic region, the news magazine said, adding that the number of NATO aircraft could be doubled at least.
The German defence ministry is considering providing military assistance to some eastern European members of the NATO defence alliance, in order to assuage fears of further Russian aggression following their actions in Crimea, reported Der Spiegel over the weekend.
The defence ministry in Berlin could send up to six air force planes to patrol the Baltic region, the news magazine said, adding that the number of NATO aircraft could be doubled at least.
A decision will be announced during a NATO meeting in Brussels on the Ukraine crisis on Tuesday, Der Spiegel said.
Other NATO members have also begun increasing their military presence in Eastern Europe, particularly in former Soviet states.
Denmark will send six F16 fighters to the Baltic countries to help patrol their airspace, Foreign Minister Martin Lidegaard said on Thursday; while according to Reuters, France might send four planes to Lithuania if NATO decided to boost air defences.
Nevertheless German military missions overseas remain a sensitive topic due to their Nazi past. In response to the Der Spiegel report, a defence ministry spokeswoman told Reuters that any army mission still remained in the hands of politicians.
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If a political decision is made, “the army could take part in flights to patrol airspace with AWACS machines over Romania and Poland as well as training flights in the framework of a NATO air policing mission over Baltic states”, she said.
US Vice President Joe Biden said earlier this month that Washington could dispatch forces to the region to reassure the ex-Soviet NATO allies which are nervous about Russia’s takeover of Crimea. Washington has already sent six extra F-15 fighter jets to step up NATO’s air patrols over the Baltics.
