"The Russians have been doing a lot of snap exercises right up against the borders, with a lot of troops… From our perspective, we could argue this is extraordinarily provocative behavior," Deputy Defense Secretary Robert Work told the media during his visit to Brussels confirming the scope of the reinforcement.
German officials reportedly said they were deliberating plans, ahead of the July 8-9 NATO summit in Warsaw, to lead a battalion based in Lithuania. A final decision has not yet been reached, the newspaper claims.
Since 2014, NATO has been building up its military presence in Europe, particularly in eastern European countries bordering Russia, using Moscow's alleged interference in Ukraine as a pretext for the move.
Moscow has repeatedly denied the claims and warned NATO that the military buildup on Russia’s borders is provocative and could harm regional and global stability.
