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First time since Cold War, US military equipment on Russia’s doorstep

Stryker vehicles from the US Army’s 2nd Cavalry Regiment took part in a military exercise in Riga, Latvia. (AP)

The Pentagon is ready to store heavy military equipment in East Europe to face a possible “Russian aggression” in the wake of a crisis in Ukraine, a report says.

On Saturday, the New York Times quoted officials as saying that the weaponry, which includes battle tanks and infantry fighting vehicles, was enough for as many as 5,000 American troops.

Since the end of the Cold War, this would be the first time that the United States is stationing heavy weaponry in the Eastern European countries, once part of the Soviet Union.

Back in 2004, the Baltic states, Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia, joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), however, the US has not permanently stationed equipment there as they also have ties with Russia.

James G. Stavridis, a retired admiral and the former supreme allied commander of NATO, called the move, which depends on approval of a Pentagon’s proposal by US Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, “a very meaningful shift in policy”.

The report, however, referred to concerns among the NATO members in regard to Moscow’s reaction to a buildup of heavy weaponry on its doorstep.

“The U.S. military continues to review the best location to store these materials in consultation with our allies,” said Colonel Steven H. Warren, a Pentagon spokesman. “At this time, we have made no decision about if or when to move to this equipment.”

The conflict between Russia and the West erupted after Ukraine’s Black Sea peninsula of Crimea voted for reunification with Russia in March last year.

Many have been killed, injured, and displaced after Kiev started crackdown on pro-Russia protesters in the east in April 2014.

Last Sunday, President Barack Obama urged the leaders of the G7 summit in Munich to stand up to “Russian aggression”.

The West blames the Kremlin for masterminding the Ukrainian unrest and backing the pro-Russia forces in country’s eastern Donetsk and Luhansk regions, a charge denied by Moscow.

NT/NT  


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