Romania’s foreign minister says a Russia incursion in Ukraine is more likely after shelling attacks in eastern Ukraine which “look like a pretext… for an invasion.”
Security situation
Bogdan Aurescu told CNN that the “security situation, right now, looks very worrisome. In spite of declarations by the Russian side that they are ready to (have a) dialogue and that they have withdrawn troops.”
“This was not confirmed in reality, this was not confirmed on the ground.”
He said the shelling of a kindergarten and school in eastern Ukraine on Thursday “looks like there is a preparation or a building of a pretext for attack, for invasion.”
He noted that Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has forwarded Moscow’s response to proposals made by the U.S. in late January, a process Romania was involved in, he said.
Worrisome
“What should have been a gesture of openness to dialogue, ” was accompanied the expulsion of the U.S Embassy’s deputy chief of mission.
“The overall picture is quite worrisome.”
Romania shares a 615-kilomteres of border with Ukraine and “would find itself in the middle of any fight,” if there was an invasion, CNN noted.
It would be one of NATO’s bases of operations for defending Ukraine against Russian aggression.
The U.S. has 2,000 troops in Romania as there are fears that fighting in neighboring Ukraine might spill into the country.
Eastern allies
President Vladimir Putin sees the troops movements as a provocation which Romania leaders deny.
NATO says there are plans to send battle groups to eastern allies.
“We have welcomed very much the announcement by France to deploy troops in Romania as part of this battle group, “ he said. „We hope that this battle group … will have the same composition and size as the battle groups which are already created and functional in Poland and the Baltic states,” he said.
Defense
The U.S. is currently repositioning 1,000 American soldiers to consolidate defense.
There are offers by the UK, US and others, of ships and planes, to reinforce NATO’s eastern flank.
VIDEO | Unusual military activity detected in northern Romania
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