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NATO Increases Its Operations In Response to Russia's Threat to Ukraine

DOW JONES & COMPANY, INC. 11:32 AM ET 04/16/14

BRUSSELS--The North Atlantic Treaty Organization said Wednesday it would increase its flights over the Baltic nations and send ships to the Mediterranean and Baltic seas in response to Russia's threat to Ukraine.

NATO will also dispatch military personnel to intensify training and exercises in Eastern Europe, the organization's Secretary-General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said after a meeting of representatives from the alliance's 28 members in Brussels.

"We will have more planes in the air, more ships in the water, and more readiness on the land," Mr. Rasmussen said. "More will follow, if needed, in the weeks and months to come."

Gen. Philip Breedlove, NATO's military commander, said he would shortly provide the alliances' civilian leaders with more details on the measures, which are designed to be sustainable at least until year's end.

The actions, which are relatively limited, reflect an attempt to signal NATO's ongoing resolve while avoiding overly aggressive measures the day before a crucial four-party diplomatic meeting in Geneva.

That meeting is to bring together Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and Ukraine's acting Foreign Minister Andriy Deshchytsia, making it the highest-level encounter so far between Moscow and the new government in Kiev. Secretary of State John Kerry and European Union foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton are also slated to attend.

But the diplomatic dance around the talks continued until the end. Ukraine said Russia hadn't confirmed its attendance, and Moscow threatened to boycott the session if Ukraine used force against pro-Russian separatists.

NATO's move unfolded in parallel to these diplomatic maneuvers. Gen. Breedlove said the action shouldn't be interpreted as a provocation of Russia.

"It will be very hard to see them as anything except defensive measures they are designed to reassure our allies," he said. Gen. Breedlove also said he would speak to Valery Gerasimov, chief of staff of the Russian armed forces, to " avoid military misinterpretation."

For now NATO isn't permanently moving additional troops or bases into Eastern Europe, something pushed by some alliance members close to Russia but an action that would likely be viewed as provocative by Moscow.

But Gen. Breedlove suggested that at some point NATO bases would have to be added. "I do believe we need to consider expanding the number of our air policing bases," he said. "I think need we need the capacity and capability to do this in broader terms across our alliance."

In addition to the other steps, NATO will review its array of defense contingency plans and update them if needed. Overall, the moves are part of a swing by NATO, which officials say they hope will be temporary, from viewing Russia as a partner to treating it as an adversary.

More broadly, NATO leaders say it is clear the rules of the game have changed in Europe now that a country has used military force to change international borders for the first time in years.

Mr. Rasmussen said the new steps would be launched "within days."

Wednesday's decision builds on top of actions NATO has already taken in response to Russia's annexation of Crimea.

The U.S. has increased from four to 10 its military planes policing the Baltics under NATO auspices. Poland will take over this policing rotation at the end of the month, and its four planes will now be supplemented by British and possibly Danish aircraft.

NATO has also deployed Awacs surveillance craft in Poland and Romania. The U.S., on its own, sent 12 F-16s to Poland for training and dispatched a warship to the Black Sea.

NATO's strategy, like those of the U.S. and the European Union, has been marked by an attempt to balance firmness with caution and a desire to avoid making it hard for Russia to back down. The standoff has instantly given NATO a higher profile than it is had in years, just as it was struggling to redefine its mission.

Mr. Rasmussen said he hoped the military activity would be overtaken by diplomacy starting with Thursday's meeting in Geneva.

"We have now taken the military steps that we think at this stage are necessary," he said. "We do hope that the Geneva talks will pave the way for a peaceful and political solution to the crisis."

Write to Naftali Bendavid at [e-mail]

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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
04-16-141132ET
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