Russia demands answers from NATO on eastern Europe

Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov said on Thursday Russia wants answers from NATO regarding its activities in eastern Europe after the Western military alliance promised to beef up defences for its eastern members.

Russia's move to annex Ukraine's Crimea region has deepened the worst East-West crisis since the Cold War and sparked fears among its eastern European neighbours. On Wednesday, Polish foreign minister Radosław Sikorski had said he would be “happy to see two NATO brigades [roughly 10,000 soldiers]” in Poland.

In response, Sergei Lavrov said Russia has “addressed questions to the North Atlantic military alliance. We are not only expecting answers, but answers that will be based fully on respect for the rules we agreed on.”

NATO foreign ministers at a meeting this week ordered military commanders to draw up plans for reinforcing NATO's defences, possibly including measures such as sending NATO soldiers and equipment to allies in eastern Europe, holding more exercises, ensuring NATO's rapid-reaction force could deploy more quickly, and reviewing NATO's military plans.