NATO-Russia Agreement on Summit Agenda, Says Mikser
Estonian Defense Minister Sven Mikser said the 1997 agreement between NATO and Russia on the banning of permanent NATO military installations near the Russian border will be discussed at the NATO summit at the end of the week.
“NATO has members who say doors should not be closed to Russia and NATO must be an example how agreements should be filled. It might not be sensible to desperately cling to a bilateral treaty which one side has systematically and on nearly every article violated,” Mikser told ERR radio from London today.
“The agreement does not touch on the stationing of military capabilities on the soil of new member states. It only notes that in the previous security circumstances the redeployment and the bringing in of additional troops were preferred to establishing permanent bases,” he said.
Stopping on the question of sending arms to Ukraine, Mikser said it is important to agree on joint measures by NATO and EU member states, adding that Ukraine has a considerable arms industry, but that the nation's military might falls short of Russia.
He said the involvement of regular Russian units is no longer up for debate and that it is happening. He added currently no plans can be taken off the table concerning helping Ukraine. Besides weapons, there are other possibilities to help Ukraine, such as stepping up pressure on Putin, financial or political help, Mikser said.