Wow. Just ... wow:
Russia expects explanations from NATO of its decision to deploy additional troops in East European states, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said.
'Russia-NATO relations are based on certain rules, particularly the Rome Declaration, under which no country has a right to deploy additional troops in East European states,' Lavrov said after talks with Kazakhstani counterpart Yerlan Idrisov on Thursday.
Russia takes Crimea from Ukraine, in violation of both the United Nations charter and the 1994 Budapest Memorandum, in which Russia specifically pledged to respect Ukrainian territorial integrity, and Russia is outraged that NATO is discussing moving troops east in response, despite earlier promises that NATO would not do that.
Surely, the Russians understand that the premise of our 1997 promise has been shattered by the Spetsnaz-led subliminal invasion of Crimea. If Russia has decided that post-Cold War borders are up for grabs, the premise of the 1997 promise is dead.
We're having none of this:
[NATO Secretary General Fogh] Rasmussen said what NATO was doing was in line with the 1997 agreement with Russia in which NATO agreed to defend eastern European members through reinforcements rather than by permanently basing substantial additional combat forces there.
"In the same document, Russia pledged to respect territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence of other states and refrain from the threat or use of force, and that is exactly what Russia is not doing," he said.
So if Russia is waiting for a further explanation from NATO, I suggest NATO send the Russians a map of Crimea.
