US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Romanian Defense Minister Vasile Duncu have held a telephone conversation during which they discussed the situation around Ukraine and exchanged views on ways to strengthen NATO's deterrence capability in its eastern region, US Defense Department Press Secretary John Kirby said
MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 28th January, 2022) US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and Romanian Defense Minister Vasile Duncu have held a telephone conversation during which they discussed the situation around Ukraine and exchanged views on ways to strengthen NATO's deterrence capability in its eastern region, US Defense Department Press Secretary John Kirby said.
"In this first call between the Secretary and Minister Dincu, both leaders exchanged views on bolstering deterrence along NATO's Eastern Flank, expressed support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and underscored the importance of Alliance unity within NATO going forward," Kirby said in a statement released on Thursday.
The two officials discussed, in particular, "mutual concern about Russia's ongoing, unprovoked military build-up around Ukraine," the statement read.
"Our bilateral strategic partnership with Romania is essential to deterring further Russian aggression along @NATO's Eastern Flank and the Black Sea region," Austin tweeted following the call early on Friday.
Russia has consistently rejected accusations of aggressive behavior and denied having any plans to attack Ukraine or any other country. Moscow believes that the "Russian aggression" narrative is a pretext to deploy more NATO military equipment near Russia's borders and facilitate further expansion eastward, which the government said constitutes a national security threat and will not be tolerated.
Russia has offered the US and NATO to provide security guarantees in Europe. US Ambassador to Russia John Sullivan delivered Washington's response to Russia's security proposals on Wednesday. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Thursday that Russia is reviewing the response but stressed that the United States, in its response to Russia's proposals, left the main question about NATO's non-expansion eastward unanswered.
On Thursday, CNN reported that the US and allies are discussing the deployment of additional troops to NATO's eastern flank, anticipating potential escalation in Ukraine. According to the report, Romania, Bulgaria, and Hungary are among the countries considering deploying additional forces.
