Earlier, it was reported that Washington was going to waste about $3.4 billion of American taxpayer money on the so-called "European Reassurance Initiative" aimed at beefing up the US military presence in East Europe in 2017 in order to deter the so-called "Russian aggression."
German newspapers opposed NATO's plans and released a number of critical articles on the issue.
For instance, Straubinger Tagblatt wrote that there is no proof that Russia actually poses a real threat to the Alliance.
"And even if it were, 250 American tanks and 4,500 troops would play only a symbolic role taking into account the military capacities of President Vladimir Putin. Moscow can move up to 30,000 troops to the border within days," the newspaper wrote.
At the same time, Die Freie Presse stressed that NATO's decision to increase its military presence in Eastern Europe could contribute to the deterioration of the global security situation, which is already very unstable.
"Sustainable diplomatic initiatives that would bring Russia back to the negotiating table would be more important than the demonstration of military strength," the article said. "We do not need a new Cold War, but rather a serious return to foreign diplomacy which is not based on confrontation, but seeks for ways to balance different interests."
The German newspaper WAZ mentioned that NATO activities are inefficient and counter-productive. The trust between the US and NATO is already destroyed and a new cold war has become quite a likely opportunity.
According to the newspaper, an increased US military presence in Eastern Europe could lead to a further rise of nationalism in these countries. Taking into account the current migration crisis, NATO's move may further destabilize the situation in the European region.
