White House says no need to contact Russia about NATO posture changes
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John Kirby calls the US forces' expansion in the region "heel-to-toe rotational deployments."
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US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby
There is no requirement to contact Moscow regarding the current NATO posture changes, according to US National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby.
"There has been no communication with Moscow about these changes, nor is there a requirement to do that," Kirby said. "You know, the vast, vast majority of these force posture changes we're making are ...'heel-to-toe' rotational deployments."
When asked whether they are obliged to notify Russia about such posture changes under existing agreements, Kirby said, "I know of no requirement to inform the Russians."
Read next: US to announce 'long-term' military reinforcements in Europe
"I mean, we added - over the last several months, as I said, we went from around 80,000 to 100,000 troops in Europe, most of them, obviously, in a rotational, temporary basis, and there was no notification requirement," he said.
"We were very public about those decisions as we made them, and we're being public about these decisions as we make them now."
US, Ukraine defense chiefs discuss security assistance: Pentagon
The US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd Austin, spoke by phone with his Ukrainian counterpart, Oleksii Reznikov, about security assistance for Kiev and the upcoming virtual meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group in July, the Defense Department said on Wednesday.
“Secretary of Defense Lloyd J. Austin III spoke with Ukrainian Minister of Defence Oleksii Reznikov,” the Pentagon said in a press release. “Secretary Austin provided an update on US security assistance efforts and exchanged perspectives with Minister Reznikov on its impact on the battlefield. The leaders also discussed plans for the next Ukraine Defense Contact Group to be held virtually in July.”
The call came as NATO leaders gathered in Madrid, Spain, for the alliance's annual summit to discuss pressing security issues and, for the first time in more than ten years, to adopt a new strategic concept. The new concept for the next ten years is said to characterize Russia as being “the most significant and direct threat."
