NATO is uncertain of Russia's intentions towards Ukraine and is not planning to deploy alliance combat troops to the country at this stage, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has announced.
"We are not planning to deploy NATO combat troops to Ukraine, that's correct," Stoltenberg said, speaking at a Washington-based think tank's virtual forum on Friday.
"There is no certainty about the Russian plans and maybe they have not made any final decision. From the NATO perspective, we are ready to engage in political dialogue but also, we are ready to respond if Russia chooses an armed confrontation. We are ready for both options," the alliance chief noted.
Stoltenberg claimed that "Russian aggression" against its neighbour may not be limited to a ground invasion and that there were other methods Moscow could use, such as cyberattacks, a coup attempt, or sabotage. "We need to be prepared for a wide range of different forms of aggression," he said.
Stoltenberg also admitted that there are some "disagreements" and "differences" among NATO allies at the moment regarding "what kind of support" should be provided, with some allies expressing hesitation when it comes to the provision of lethal military equipment.
Bloc Divided
Earlier this week, Germany reiterated that it would not deploy military equipment to Ukraine, suggesting that the best Berlin could do was to provide 5,000 combat helmets for the Ukrainian military.
On Tuesday, Croatian President Zoran Milanovic promised to withdraw all Croatian military personnel from the region in the event of a Russia-Ukraine war, saying the conflict has "nothing to do with Ukraine or Russia, [but] has to do with the dynamics of the US's domestic policy." On Friday, Romania – traditionally considered to be one of Ukraine's strongest supporters in Eastern Europe – also announced that Bucharest would not get involved militarily in Ukraine in the event of an escalation.
Also this week, the Pentagon announced that 8,500 US troops on US soil had been placed on high alert and prepared for deployment in Ukraine, possibly as part of a larger NATO response force. However, CNN has reported, citing anonymous officials, that Washington's focus has been on cobbling together a "coalition of the willing" to deploy additional NATO forces in Eastern Europe, including Hungary, Romania and Bulgaria, but not Ukraine. Separately, UK Defence chief Ben Wallace promised to provide Kiev with additional military equipment and training assistance, but stopped short of making any security guarantees. Wallace pointed out that Russia has "the biggest armed forces in Europe," and noted that Ukraine "is not a member of NATO." Instead, he said, London's measures were about "helping Ukraine help themselves."
Western officials and media have spent months claiming that Russia is poised to invade its neighbour. Moscow has dismissed these allegations, suggesting that the West was using the supposed 'Russian threat' as a pretext to pump up its own presence in the region. In recent days, a growing number of Ukrainian officials, including Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Defence Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and National Security and Defence Council chief Oleksiy Danilov, have publicly called for an easing of tensions, and even criticised Western media for their over the top fearmongering reports about alleged Russian plans for an imminent invasion.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov took note of the change in tone among Ukraine's political elite, telling Russian media on Friday that Western fearmongering has become "so frank and cynical" in using Ukraine as a battering ram against Russia "that the regime in Kiev has become frightened" and asked its benefactors to tone down their rhetoric.