The German newspaper "Die Welt" reported that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) has raised the level of combat readiness of its rapid response forces (NRF) "due to Russia's actions."
And the newspaper wrote, quoting an unnamed senior NATO diplomat, that "given the buildup of Russian forces near the border with Ukraine, NATO responded with the first concrete military action and raised the readiness of its 40,000 troops for quick response.
According to that diplomat, the "Very High Readiness Joint Group" (VJTF), which is part of the Rapid Deterrence Forces, must from Monday "be ready to deploy to the crisis area within five days," while this period was seven days earlier.
The German newspaper added that the readiness of other units of the rapid response forces, such as the special forces and logistical support units, was also raised.
According to "Die Welt", NATO took the decision in this regard last week, although the newspaper stressed that the official spokesman of the alliance did not confirm this information, and only indicated that "NATO's policy towards Russia remains consistent (which is represented in) defense and dialogue."
Russia has repeatedly affirmed that it has no intention of launching any operation against Ukraine, stressing that all reports about this are false and the purpose of these allegations is to escalate tension in the region and inflame the anti-Russian rhetoric in preparation for new economic sanctions.
It is reported that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine is working to attend, in one way or another, the (NATO) summit to be held in Madrid next June.
Speaking at a joint press conference with the Secretary-General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg last week, Zelensky said Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic course had not changed and that he saw an opportunity at the upcoming NATO summit in Madrid.
Follow the latest news on Google News
