STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Nov. 10 (UPI) — NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, in Stockholm Tuesday, called for an increase of military presence in Nordic countries to counter Russian aggression.
Speaking in Sweden, which is not a NATO member but retains close ties with the 28-country military bloc, Stoltenberg said NATO would step up its profile in Scandinavia after Russia increased its own presence in its Arctic territory. He added the response also come after watching Russia “use force to change the borders of Ukraine.”
It was Stoltenberg’s first visit to Stockholm since becoming NATO chief and coincides with a meeting of the Nordic defense cooperation group Nordefco, where recent Russian military activity is expected to be a topic.
A submarine, believed to be Russian, was spotted in waters near Stockholm in October 2014, and Russian military aircraft have been identified in and near Swedish and Danish airspace in the past year. Intelligence services regard Russia as a threat in the region.
Stoltenberg said NATO is reacting to what it regards as a Russian menace by doubling the size of the Raid Response teams, increasing patrols in the Baltic Sea region and rotating additional troops through member states in central and eastern Europe.
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