Jens Stoltenberg: NATO is ready to defend against any threat
Eastern European NATO countries on Tuesday warned that a move of Wagner's Russian mercenary troops to Belarus would create greater regional instability, but NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance is ready to defend itself against any threat, Reuters reports.
"We have sent a clear message to Moscow and to Minsk that Nato is there to protect every ally and every inch of NATO territory," he said.
Russia moved tactical nuclear weapons into Belarus in recent weeks, with President Putin saying they would only be used if Russian territory was threatened.
Nato members Poland, Latvia and Lithuania have warned that Wagner's arrival in Belarus could spell trouble for them as neighbours. A Lithuanian presidential adviser said the mercenaries were dangerous as they could take part in sabotage and infiltration operations.
Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda told a press conference that if Wagner were to deploy its "serial killers" in Belarus, then neighbouring countries would face "even greater danger of instability".
