Amid tensions with Russia over the war in Ukraine: what is NATO’s defense on the Eastern Front?

International tensions linked to the war in Ukraine continued to increase .

Last week, Russian President Vladimir Putin has warned that allowing Ukrainian forces to use Western weapons against their territory would pose a threat. to find greater conflict.

However, Germany joined the United States and agreed that President Volodymyr Zelensky’s country could use this weapon attack military targets Russia .

The main objective of the measure is to be able to defend Kharkov a city in which Kremlin troops have opened a new combat front.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last Friday that They are willing to relax their policy in this regard. depending on the events that occur.

“In the future, We will continue to do what we have been doing: adapt and adjust as necessary “, emphasized the authority from Prague (Czech Republic), where he participated in a meeting with NATO foreign ministers.

For his part, German spokesperson Steffen Hebestreit said in a statement that “Together, we are convinced that Ukraine has the right under international law to defend itself against these attacks” .

In addition to these countries, others, such as France and Poland, had already allowed Ukraine to attack military targets on Russian territory with the equipment provided to them .

The secretary general of NATO Jens Stoltenberg spoke on Friday about Putin’s warnings about escalation and manifest that “Ukraine has the right to defend itself” .

“For a long time, every time NATO allies provide support to Ukraine, President Putin tries to threaten us not to do it (…) And an escalation (…) well , Russia has stepped up its efforts by invading another country “.

Faced with this situation, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov said on Monday warned to US leaders that their actions could have “fatal consequences” .

“For unknown reasons, They underestimate the severity of the counterattack they might receive “, he emphasized, as reported by the state agency RIA.

In the midst of a scenario that has worsened and in which more than two years have already passed since the start of the Kremlin invasion (February 24, 2022), NATO has strengthened its defense strategies on the Eastern Front .

After Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, NATO has established what is called the Enhanced Forward Presence (eFP).

These are four multinational battalions located in countries alliance members: Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland.

The objective they have is militarily reinforce the area in the event of a possible conflict with Russia . His troops rotate every six months, depending on what has been saved Deutsche Welle .

With, After the Russian annexation of Crimea, the Very High Readiness Joint Force (VJTF) was created. .

This It has around 10,000 troops and is part of the NATO Response Forces (NRF), which has a total of 40,000 troops. soldiers.

According to data retrieved by the aforementioned German media, VJTF troops They must be able to travel to any member country of the organization within two to seven days. .

This is why they are considered rapid reaction forces .

They have the power to act both by land, air and sea .

In this direction, If a NATO country is attacked, the VJTF will be the first to enter combat alongside the military. of the territory in question.

Although Ukraine is not a member of this international organization, the countries that are members support President Zelensky’s country. against the Russian invasion.

One of the objectives is prevent the war from directly involving NATO because it would mean a wider international conflict.

German General Rupert von Butler shared his impressions with DW and said that “Of course, we are following the war in Ukraine very closely and with great concern” .

“When I see how they are fighting there, what is happening there, how the Russian troops act and What this means for the civilian population is terrible. “.

In this sense, he stressed: “I must say it clearly and “We are ready to prevent such a thing from happening on NATO territory.” .