Russia–NATO relations

The Turkish Foreign Ministry on Feb. 18 said it expects NATO members to "flawlessly display unity and the spirit of solidarity" that constitute the bedrock of the Alliance.

The United States will send troops to Bulgaria for joint exercises and better interoperability said Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin.

"Bulgaria will accept an American company of armored personnel carriers "Stryker" from Germany for exercises," he was quoted as saying by WorldAkkam.

Finding a Path for Peace and Neutrality in Ukraine by David C. Speedie

US President Joe Biden urged Americans Thursday to immediately leave Ukraine, as Russia's live-fire drills and build-up of troops around the ex-Soviet state deepened fears of an invasion.

Washington-Moscow tensions are at their highest since the Cold War, with some US estimates saying some 130,000 Russian soldiers are grouped in dozens of combat brigades near the border with Ukraine.

NATO is considering sending combat teams to Romania. This was announced by Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg during a joint press conference with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson.

The Kremlin claims the West broke a promise it made in the 1990s not to expand NATO, and is now using this claim to justify threats to invade Ukraine.
One of Russia's consistent demands has been for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization to stop expanding to the east and pledge never to include Kiev in the security alliance.

Additional US troops on alert in Eastern Europe will not be part of the 8,000 US troops ready to support the NATO Response Force, said Defense Secretary John Kirby.

The United States has put 8,500 troops on High Alert to be Sent in Europe

The British Prime Minister Boris Johnson will announce today that his country is proposing to strengthen NATO's eastern flank, including sending Typhoon fighter jets to patrol the airspace of Bulgaria and Romania. They will operate from Cyprus, where there are two British airbases.

"As you have heard from the Secretary of State, the National Security Adviser and others, we do not know if the Russians are playing diplomatic games, but we hope they are not playing. Our intention is to seriously move diplomacy forward so that its doors remain open and if the Russians are ready for that, they will move through diplomacy," said a White House spokeswoman.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the representatives of that alliance, in coordination with the United States, sent requests to Moscow, which can be summarized in three areas, concerning NATO-Russia relations, European security and arms control.