Poll: Half of Germans Oppose Deployment of NATO Forces in Baltic Region

Nearly half of people in Germany oppose the idea of protecting the Baltic states from a so-called military threat posed by Russia, a new poll revealed Tuesday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — According to the poll commissioned by the Bertelsmann foundation and the Warsaw Institute of Public Affairs, some 56 percent of Germans surveyed do not consider Russia as a threat to their country, with 49 percent of respondents opposing the idea of permanent deployment of NATO forces in Poland or the Baltic states.

Meanwhile, each fourth German citizen out of 10 answering the poll expressed support for the alliance's presence in Poland, Lithuania, Latvia or Estonia.

On Wednesday, a first Russia-NATO Council meeting at the level of permanent envoys in Brussels in two years failed to yield any significant results due to the sides’ disagreement on a number of geopolitical issues.

NATO has been increasing its military presence in Eastern Europe and the Black Sea since the outbreak of the conflict in southeastern Ukraine in April 2014, in response to what it considers Russia's aggressive foreign policy.

Moscow has repeatedly dismissed the Ukraine-related accusations leveled at it, warning that increased NATO activities near the country's borders could undermine regional and global stability.

NATO exercises and deployments near Russia since 2014

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