NATO is considering increasing its military presence in the Baltic States and Poland if Russia keeps its troops in Belarus after a planned military exercise, the head of the alliance's military committee said on Monday.
Further deployment from NATO allies was possible, said Rob Bauer, a Dutch admiral who heads NATO's top strategy body.
U.S. Air Force Airmen deployed to Poland to prepare to assist its allies on February 4. /CFP
"Where do we have troops in the alliance depends on whether the Russian troops in Belarus remain in Belarus," Bauer told a news conference in Vilnius.
Russia has 30,000 troops in Ukraine's northern neighbor for joint military exercises this month, bringing the total Russian military deployment at Ukraine's borders to more than 100,000, according to NATO.
Last week, as the first major movement of the U.S. forces in Moscow's military standoff with Ukraine, the Pentagon sent more than 3,000 troops to Romania and Poland to reassure its allies, while Germany announced it was considering a boost to its existing military deployment in Lithuania.
The first of 2,000 soldiers to arrive in Europe following the Pentagon's announcement of additional forces moving from the United States to Europe in support of our NATO allies on February 6. /CFP
The Russian side repeatedly said it is not planning any invasion of Ukraine but could take unspecified military action if its security demands are not met, including a promise that NATO pulls back its presence in the Baltics and Eastern Europe and that NATO will never admit Ukraine.
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(With input from agencies)