NATO is refocusing their efforts toward Russia in light of Vladimir Putin’s invasion and takeover of Crimea last year.
NATO wants to prevent Russia from doing the same thing to other former Soviet Republics.
“We have reasons to believe that Russia views the Baltic region as one of NATO’s most vulnerable areas, a place where NATO’s resolve can be tested,” said Sven Mikser, Estonia’s defense minister.
“If the Russians sense a window of opportunity, they will use it to their advantage,” said Estonia’s chief of defense, Lt. Gen. Riho Terras. “We must make sure there’s no room for miscalculation.”
U.S. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter has been traveling to the capitals of NATO member nations to talk about the refocus on Russia. He has pledged the U.S. to give weapons and loan commandos to a new NATO rapid reaction force.
The U.S. will also place heavy weapons and tanks in the Baltics and Eastern Europe for the first time.
NATO is facing issues with member nations such as Germany, Italy and France not being in favor of going to war with Russia should an invasion of Estonia or other former Soviet republics take place.
Despite asserting that they would not be invading any other parts of Ukraine, Russia has massed over 100,000 troops on the country’s border.
Andriy Parubiy, the chairman of the Ukraine National Security Council, said during a webcast that Russia has stationed large amounts of troops along the northern, western and southern borders of the country.
“We might see a huge attack on the territory of continental Ukraine [any day] and we are getting ready for it,” Parubiy said.
Intelligence officials say that Russia is working behind the scenes to try and stir up dissent throughout the rest of the country as an excuse to invade the rest of the nation.
U.S. lawmakers are being cautious about the situation, with one Representative noting that Russia has sent a large amount of armored vehicles and aircraft to the border.
A war in Ukraine could bring massive problems to the world oil markets and Europe, which is heavily dependent on natural gas from Russia.
Russian leaders told foreign press Monday that Chinese leaders are largely in agreement with the Russian invasion of part of Ukraine.
Russian troops have now surrounded military bases in Crimea and are preventing Ukrainian soldiers from being able to move anywhere within that area as Russian forces reinforce their positions.
Russian forces have also taken control of a port in the city of Kerch on the eastern edge of Crimea. The Crimean peninsula has a large Russian speaking population and the Russian leadership says their forces are there to protect those people.
British Foreign Secretary William Hague told Sky News that we’re in the midst of the most serious crisis that Europe has faced in the 21st century. The news of the invasion and the possibility of impending war have created a major impact on world markets, with Russia’s stock market down 10 percent.
The seven members of the G8 with Russia have called on Russia to respect the sovereignty of the Ukraine and called on them to remove themselves from Ukrainian territory.
