Ukraine – Russia unrest: No sign of Russian de-escalation, says Nato Chief

There is no sign of de-escalation by Russian soldiers on the ground near Ukraine, according to Nato’s secretary-general.

Russia, according to Jens Stoltenberg, still has a large force poised to invade Ukraine.

Russia claims it is withdrawing some soldiers and that military training in the Crimea, which it annexed, have ended.

Mr Stoltenberg, on the other hand, warned that the Russian threat had become the “new normal” in European security. Nato is considering forming new combat groups in Central and Southeast Europe, he said.

He said it was part of continuous efforts to strengthen European defense, which had cost $270 billion (£199 billion) since 2014, but he tried to reassure Russia that Nato was not a threat.

He claimed that France had offered to lead one of these battle groups in Romania.

Mr Stoltenberg’s words were “no longer interesting” to Russia’s foreign ministry.

The secretary general of Nato gave a pessimistic outlook for the future.

It is, according to Jens Stoltenberg, Europe’s most significant security problem since the end of the Cold War. And he made it plain that the threat was still present.

Even if President Putin does not order an attack, there are hints that this situation will linger for a long time.

Mr Stoltenberg claimed that Russia’s military build-up demonstrated that Moscow was willing to use force to challenge European security.

The “new normal” may potentially imply a stronger military posture for Nato. Mr. Stoltenberg has directed Nato military strategists to investigate the formation of new battle groups on the alliance’s eastern flank, namely Romania and the Black Sea region.

But no final decision has been made, and Nato claims that reinforcements will merely be dispatched as a deterrent.

Nato continues to urge Russia to participate in conversation in order to de-escalate tensions. However, if diplomacy fails, the danger is that both sides will resort to using their forces to communicate.