What's behind NATO's military buildup in the Black Sea?

(Baonghean.vn) - Sputnik believes that NATO's military buildup in the Black Sea is part of the organization's strategy to expand its military presence along Russia's borders. Russian analysts assert that the move will destabilize the situation in the region.

NATO warships participate in exercises in the Black Sea on March 16, 2015. Photo: AFP.

According to Russian Foreign Ministry official Andrey Kelin, the permanent presence of NATO troops in the Black Sea will destabilize and undermine security in the region.

“If NATO decides to deploy permanent troops to the Black Sea, it will certainly worsen the situation. These are not NATO territorial waters, these are the Black Sea freedom of navigation zones,” Mr. Kelin said.

The diplomat added that NATO has never deployed permanent forces in the region, except for occasional NATO warships entering and leaving the Black Sea.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on June 14 that the alliance was increasing its presence in the Black Sea. He added that NATO military officials had discussed the creation of a Romanian brigade, part of a multinational East-West brigade.

“We are living in a time when many previous international agreements are being revised. Therefore, it would not be surprising if one day the United States refuses to comply with the Montreux Convention,” Ivan Konovalov, head of the Center for Strategic Environment, told Svobodnaya Pressa.

According to Sputnik, the problem is that Washington is not satisfied with the principles of decision-making within NATO. Currently, the mechanism is that decisions are made through the consensus of all members. The above analyst believes that the US wants to 'lubricate' the procedure to promote decisions, ignoring the objections of other members.

Meanwhile, NATO has the tools to bypass restrictions set out in previous agreements. For example, under agreements between Moscow and the alliance, NATO cannot deploy permanent forces to Eastern Europe. However, NATO has come up with so-called rotation plans – changing personnel but leaving military equipment and infrastructure intact.

Now, according to Konovalov, it appears that NATO is preparing a similar plan for the Black Sea.

He believes that the US wants to use NATO to contain Russia in the Baltic region and in the Black Sea, in an effort to reduce Russia's naval capabilities. Moscow has built up a powerful force in the Arctic, so Washington will try to impose its own rules of the game in the Arctic, but it is unlikely to succeed.

As for the Black Sea, this person said that NATO's presence could cause Russia a headache. For example, the US could implement Romania's initiative for a unified NATO flotilla, including NATO's regional members.

Leonid Ivashov, president of the Academy of Geopolitical Problems, noted that NATO's increased presence in the Black Sea is part of the alliance's general trend of strengthening its military presence along Russia's borders, including in the Barents and Okhotsk seas.

He added that Türkiye is also building up its naval forces in the Black Sea. “Russia will build up its naval capabilities enough to respond to NATO exercises. Moscow needs to signal to Washington and London that it is ready to react to any provocation,” the president said.

Phu Binh

(According to Sputnik)