NATO deploys exercises on eastern flank

According to RIA Novosti on January 13, nine NATO countries will conduct the Steadfast Dart-25 exercise from January 13 to February 26 to test the ability to quickly deploy forces on the eastern flank "in conflict conditions".

As previously stated by the Allied Response Force (ARF) Command, based in Italy, “the exercise demonstrates NATO’s ability to rapidly deploy forces from Europe to reinforce the defense of its eastern flank.”

The rapid deployment readiness test “will be conducted in a simulated conflict scenario with a comparable enemy,” they explained.

About 10,000 servicemen from nine allied nations will participate in the exercise, which will include air, land, sea and special forces. The exercise will take place in Romania, Bulgaria, and Greece.

In recent years, Russia has noted unprecedented NATO activity along its western borders. The alliance is expanding its initiatives, calling them a “deterrent to Russian aggression.” Moscow has repeatedly expressed concern about the alliance’s buildup in Europe. The Russian Foreign Ministry has said that Moscow remains open to dialogue with NATO, but on an equal footing, while the West must abandon the process of militarizing the continent.

Previously, on January 12, on social network X, Professor at the University of Southeast Norway Glenn Diesen called on the North Atlantic Alliance to begin negotiations with Russia on a security agreement in the context of the country's army entering Donetsk.

“NATO should start negotiations with Russia today to conclude an agreement on European security based on the bloc’s indivisible principles,” he wrote.