East Europe Nato allies say Wagner troops in neighbouring Belarus spell trouble
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Wagner mercenaries on top of a tank in Russia's Rostov-on-Don, amid a military mutiny led by their boss, Russian businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Follow topic:
THE HAGUE - Eastern European Nato countries on Tuesday warned that a move of Wagner’s Russian mercenary troops to Belarus would create greater regional instability, but Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance is ready to defend itself against any threat.
“If Wagner deploys its serial killers in Belarus, all neighbouring countries face even bigger danger of instability,” Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda said, after a meeting in The Hague with Mr Stoltenberg and government leaders from six other North Atlantic Treaty Organisation allies.
Polish President Andrzej Duda added: “This is really serious and very concerning, and we have to make very strong decisions. It requires a very, very tough answer of Nato.”
Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin arrived in Belarus
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Wagner’s fighters would be offered the choice of relocating there.
Nato’s Mr Stoltenberg said it was too early to say what this could mean for Nato allies, and stressed the increased defence of the alliance’s eastern flank in recent years.
“We have sent a clear message to Moscow and Minsk that Nato is there to protect every ally, every inch of Nato territory,” Mr Stoltenberg said.
“We have already increased our military presence in the eastern part of the alliance and we will make further decisions to further strengthen our collective defence with more high-readiness forces and more capabilities at the upcoming summit.”
Mr Stoltenberg said the mutiny had shown that Mr Putin’s “illegal war” against Ukraine had deepened divisions in Russia.
Nato Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg (centre) said it was too early to say what a move to Belarus of Wagner forces could mean for Nato allies.
PHOTO: AFP
“At the same time, we must not underestimate Russia. So, it’s even more important that we continue to provide Ukraine with our support.”
Poland’s Mr Duda said he hoped the threat posed by Wagner forces would be on the agenda at a summit of all 31 Nato members in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11 and 12. REUTERS
