NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has reassured allies that the alliance will defend all of its territory amidst concerns over the presence of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group in Belarus. Stoltenberg’s comments come after a brief rebellion over the weekend, which posed a rare challenge to the regime.
Stoltenberg held a press conference on Tuesday to address these concerns, stating that NATO is committed to protecting every ally. He also mentioned that NATO has already increased its military presence in the eastern part of the alliance and will make further decisions to strengthen collective defense.
Despite these reassurances, Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda warned that the deployment of Wagner’s troops in Belarus could lead to greater instability in neighboring countries. He stressed the importance of deterrence and forward defense in such circumstances.
Germany has announced its readiness to permanently station a 4,000-strong army brigade in Lithuania to show their support. Polish President Andrzej Duda also expressed concern about Wagner’s presence and emphasized the need for NATO to strengthen its eastern flank. Poland has tightened security at its border with Belarus in response to reports that Wagner’s leader, Yegeny Prigozhin, would soon be residing there.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko confirmed that Prigozhin and other exiled members of Wagner have been allowed to reside in Belarus, offering them an abandoned military base as a temporary home. Lukashenko had provided refuge to the group after brokering a deal to end the rebellion between Prigozhin and Russia’s top military officials.
Preparations are underway for Wagner to hand over its heavy weapons to the Russian military, as Prigozhin has stated. Russian authorities have closed their criminal investigation into the mutiny and are not pressing charges against Prigozhin or his followers, thanks to the negotiated deal.
The comments from Stoltenberg and the presidents of Lithuania and Poland were made during a meeting of a small group of leaders ahead of the upcoming NATO summit. Stoltenberg emphasized that it is too early to draw final conclusions about the long-term consequences of Wagner for NATO, but the alliance is closely monitoring the situation. He also reiterated the importance of providing support to Ukraine in its conflict with Russia.
The mutiny has left governments around the world speculating about what might happen next. U.S. President Joe Biden stated that allies are determined not to give Putin any excuse to blame the events on the West. He emphasized that the West had no involvement in the mutiny and considered it an internal matter for Russia.
President Duda is hopeful that the threat posed by Wagner forces will be discussed at the NATO meeting in July.
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