Estonia Works to Bring Additional NATO Forces to the Baltic

Estonia makes a lot of contribution to the NATO plans of military troops deployment in the Baltic states, Estonian Minister of Defense Hannes Hanso said Saturday.

MOSCOW (Sputnik) — NATO's plans to place more military forces in the Baltic States are important and Estonia has put a lot of effort in their implementation, Estonian Minister of Defense Hannes Hanso said Saturday.

The Wall Street Journal earlier reported that NATO member states are preparing to deploy about 4,000 troops – four battalions — in the Baltic states and Poland as part of the Alliance’s strategy of military buildup on the Russian border.

"Allies have realized that in our region NATO is not only protecting the security of Estonia and the Baltic Sea region, but the entire NATO [member countries]. Everyone should understand that NATO defends its borders where there are security challenges, and now they are present in our region. The deployment of additional units here is totally understandable and welcomed. We have worked a lot in the name of this goal," Hanso said, as quoted by the ministry's press service.

Since 2014, NATO has been building up its military presence in Europe, particularly in eastern European countries bordering Russia, using Moscow's alleged interference in Ukraine as a pretext for the move.

Moscow has repeatedly denied the claims and warned NATO that the military buildup on Russia’s borders is provocative and could harm regional and global stability.