Ceasefire in Ukraine: New challenges loom for NATO's East

The Estonian defence minister, in an interview with America's "Newsweek," expressed concerns that a ceasefire in Ukraine could bring new challenges for NATO.

According to him, Russia plans to triple the number of soldiers near the border with the Baltic countries, which could shorten the response time of the Alliance.

- The (Russian) forces will likely be moved into our vicinity - assessed Hanno Pevkur.

- Countries along NATO's eastern flank are among the most ardent supporters of Ukraine - added William Freer from the British think tank Council on Geostrategy. In his opinion, Russia "may be tempted to focus efforts on intimidating or disrupting order in and around the member states on the eastern flank of NATO."

When President-elect Donald Trump returns to the Oval Office, he may push for a ceasefire in the exhausting, two-and-a-half-year war in Ukraine.

European officials point out that a deal with Putin under Trump's leadership will likely come at the expense of Ukraine, and potentially Europe as well.

But as Pevkur stated, Russian soldiers receiving thousands of dollars monthly for fighting in the war will not want to return to Russia's remote regions to earn even a fraction of that salary.

- This means that the Russian army will have many free forces, which will likely be moved into our vicinity - said Pevkur.

As "Newsweek" reminds us, Russia currently stations one division close to Estonia, at its base in Pskov. According to new plans, Russia will triple the number of soldiers near the NATO border there.

- This means the risk will be much higher because the time for early warning will be reduced to a minimum - concludes the Estonian minister, adding that "the deterrent message must be so strong that Russia never even thinks about attacking NATO."

Source: Newsweek/WP