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© AP Photo/ Tony Dejak
The outgoing Vice-President of the USA Joe Biden called to counter Russian influence in Europe.
“If we leave, Hungary, Poland, even the Baltic countries — all of these guys will play it safe,” Biden said Wednesday in an interview with the New York Times. It clarifies the newspaper, the conversation was about “hegemony” of Russia in Eastern Europe.
Biden as Vice President has repeatedly called for countries in Eastern Europe.
United States implement the program, which in January was renamed the Initiative to curb. Earlier, the Pentagon had already acknowledged that the program of military presence on the borders with Russia, designed to “reassure” NATO allies, actually began to perform tasks for the military containment of Russia.
The Pentagon budget for the 2017 financial year includes increased spending on the so-called Initiative on European security (European Reassurance Initiative), about 3.4 billion dollars. A year earlier it amounted to 789 million dollars. In addition, about 900 million dollars will be used by other agencies, including the Department of state to “deter Russian aggression.”
In the framework of this program in Europe near Russia’s borders will be deployed three to five thousand NATO troops and military machinery and equipment. As stated in the Alliance, these measures are being taken in response to “aggressive actions” of Russia, which are understood as the policy of Russia towards Georgia (in 2008) and Ukraine (2014).
In late December, Russian defense Minister Sergei Shoigu reported that a group of NATO near the borders of Russia for ten years has tripled, while the Western boundaries — eight times.
Moscow has repeatedly stressed that Russia will never attack any of the NATO countries. According to the head of the Russian foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, NATO is well aware of the lack of Moscow plans to attack anyone, but just enjoy the occasion in order to accommodate more vehicles and battalions near the Russian border.
Previously, the press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow sees as a threat to increase the US military presence in Europe at the borders of the Russian Federation and perceives it negatively.