(see related) NATO has
given its senior military commander in Europe a mandate to beef
up self-defense plans in Eastern European countries after Russia
annexed Ukraine's Crimea region last month, Alliance sources
said Tuesday.
The mandate includes deployment of air, naval and land
forces, increasing response readiness levels, bolstering
military exercises, and possible deployment in the Baltic and
Black seas, which border on Russia.
The mandate for ''all necessary means, for the necessary
length of time'' was issued at the start of a two-day meeting of
foreign ministers from the 28-member NATO bloc, which is
convening for the first time since the Crimea takeover.
Denmark, France, Germany, Poland, Portugal, the US, and the
UK have said they will contribute to this effort.
NATO's current Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR) is
General Philip M. Breedlove from the United States Air Force.
In a meeting with acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy
Deshchytsia, the NATO ministers also pledged to ''enact
immediate and long-term measures to bolster Ukraine's
self-defense capabilities''.
NATO ministers in their concluding statement said they do
not recognize ''Russia's illegal and illegitimate attempt to
annex Crimea''.
They urged Moscow to immediately act to return to respect
for international law.
Russia acted against the principles and commitments of its
partnership with NATO, violating the trust on which that
partnership was founded, the ministers said.
The NATO allies also approved a packet of measures to
strengthen ties with their east European partners, adding they
will review their Russia partnership at the next summit to be
held in June.
Meanwhile, the NATO-Russia channel remains open to
''political dialogue'' at ambassador level and beyond, the
alliance said.
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