NATO has decided to deploy international forces in Romania, Slovakia and Bulgaria

Against the background of Russia’s pulling of military units and military equipment to the border with Ukraine, NATO plans to expand its presence on the eastern flank. This week, 30 member countries of the alliance approved the corresponding initiative during the written procedure, writes dpa, citing sources, Deutsche Welle reports.

In this case, we are talking, in particular, about the deployment of the international forces of the alliance in countries southeast of Ukraine – Romania, as well as Slovakia and Bulgaria. French and US military personnel may be sent there. Until now, on the eastern flank of NATO, the alliance’s troops have been deployed only in the Baltic countries and Poland, dpa points out.

It is expected that this decision will be reaffirmed at a meeting of NATO defense ministers on February 16, after which it will be officially announced. It will be implemented, as expected, next spring. At the same time, NATO emphasizes that the deployment of additional alliance forces in Eastern Europe is solely a reaction to the actions of the Russian Federation.