No Threat Justifies NATO Doubling Response Force - German Lawmaker

MOSCOW (Sputnik), Daria Chernyshova — The doubling of NATO's Response Force from 13,000 to 30,000 is a step that lacks justification by any immediate threat, a German lawmaker from Die Linke party told Sputnik.

“I'm very concerned about the announcement by NATO to more than double its Response Force from 13,000 to 30,000. This seems to further escalate the tensions with Russia,” Andrej Hunko said, adding that according to the information he has “there is no immediate threat that would justify this step.”

Earlier this week, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance will increase its Response Force personnel who are “facing a dramatically changed security environment in Europe.”

Hunko stressed that on the contrary, according to the information available within NATO, the picture of security risks is quite different. He indicated that the true reality is often hidden, as the French Chief of the Military Security Service Christophe Gomart pointed out when he appeared before the French parliament.

Russia and the West are currently experiencing tension in their relations. The United States and the European Union accuse Russia of "annexing" Crimea and escalating the violence in southeastern Ukraine, although Moscow has denied any involvement in the Ukrainian conflict.