MOSCOW: Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda believes that NATO should abandon its restrictions on the establishment of permanent military bases near the borders with Russia, reported Sputnik.
The Lithuanian president added that NATO should recognise the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act as “dead” due to the deployment of Russian nuclear weapons in Belarus, reported The Times newspaper on Monday.
In addition, Nauseda called on NATO allies to accelerate an increase in their military spending due to “a very fragile and dangerous situation,“ the newspaper said.
The Founding Act on Mutual Relations, Cooperation and Security was signed by Russia and NATO in Paris on May 27, 1997. The policy paper determined Russia’s and NATO’s obligations in key areas, norms and mechanisms of their interaction. The accord focused on cutbacks in military force, the number of lethal weapons and a new security structure that was meant to replace the bipolar world system. The parties also agreed to control the offensive capabilities reduction and to strengthen security cooperation.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said in mid-June that Moscow had transferred the first part of the nuclear warheads to Belarus and would complete the task of moving tactical nuclear weapons by the end of the year. Putin said the deployment was an element of deterrence and a signal to those thinking of inflicting a strategic defeat on Russia.
In late June, Nauseda also urged NATO to strengthen its eastern flank, citing the risks associated with the relocation of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner Group private military company, to Belarus after the June 24 armed mutiny in Russia. - Bernama
