US promises to protect the Baltics from Russia
The head of the Pentagon, Leon Panetta, assured the heads of the Estonian, Lithuanian and Latvian defense ministries that the reduction of the US Armed Forces in Europe, which is taking place as part of the new defense strategy, will not affect the fulfillment of US security commitments in the region. This also applies to the Baltic States, who fear, in particular, the possible deployment of Russian missiles in the Kaliningrad region - in the immediate vicinity of the borders of these countries.As Rasa Yuknevičienė, Minister of Defense of Lithuania, told BNS, at a meeting in Brussels initiated by the United States, the Americans told the Baltic countries that "despite the changes in forces in Europe, the United States’s obligations under the fifth article of the NATO treaty remain in force", transmits "Interfax".
“Basically, Panetta repeated Bush’s statement in Vilnius - that threats to our countries are threats to the United States, that the Baltic region is important, that this review will not affect joint exercises, implementation of defense plans, and the presence of NATO,” the Lithuanian minister said.
Juknevičienė reported that, meeting with the head of the Pentagon, she asked the United States to increase its presence in the region. "We would like the US presence in the Baltic countries to become more specific - concrete joint projects, that is, training centers, the possible presence of infrastructure that is necessary for joint exercises," said the Lithuanian Defense Minister.
Artis Pabriks, the Minister of Defense of Latvia, in turn, said that the United States had received "convincing confirmation" that they would take into account the needs of the Baltic countries. “Panetta devoted a lot of time explaining that reducing the American forces in Europe will not in any way affect the security needs of Europe, the Baltic region, and the Baltic countries,” said Pabriks, giving an interview to BNS in Brussels.
Earlier in European countries, some politicians have expressed concerns that are associated with the new defense strategy of the United States. According to this strategy, the regions of the Middle East, the Pacific Ocean and Asia are now considered priorities, and two combat brigades will be withdrawn from Europe.
Prior to that, the Baltics were very frightened by the words of Dmitry Medvedev, who in November 2011 announced the response steps to build an American missile defense system in Europe. The Russian president then threatened to place Iskander-type percussion systems on the southern and western borders of the Russian Federation. In addition, he did not rule out the possibility of withdrawing from the Treaty on the Limitation of Strategic Offensive Arms and the abandonment of the disarmament policy.
Immediately thereafter, the authorities of Latvia and Lithuania expressed serious concern about Russia's plans to locate the Iskander complexes in close proximity to their borders - in the Kaliningrad region.
At the same time, the United States also said that the words of the Russian president had been heard, but they did not intend to abandon their plans or change them. At the beginning of 2012, the deputy head of the Pentagon promised to “reassure the Russian leadership” about the missile defense system.
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