NATO must do more to deter Russian threat

“The transatlantic community faces new challenges very different from the Cold War. In the east, Russia is acting aggressively and advancing new forms of hybrid warfare; on the southern flank, hordes of refugees and foreign fighters are destabilising the region; further abroad, Afghanistan also remains very dangerous, while ISIL and other terror groups show no sign of slowing down,” US Secretary of Defense Ash Carter said at a security conference.

“Despite the progress that we’ve made together since the end of the Cold War, Russia has in recent years appeared intent – with its violation of Ukrainian, Georgian, and Moldovan territorial integrity, with its unprofessional behavior in the air, in space, and in cyber-space, as well as with its nuclear sabre-rattling – on eroding the principled international order that has served the United States, our allies and partners, the international community and Russia itself so well for so long.

Carter said the United States is taking a strong and balanced approach to address Russia.

“We’re strengthening our capabilities, our posture, our investments, our plans and our allies and partners, all while still keeping the door open to working with Russia where our interests align. And we will continue to make clear that Russia’s aggressive actions only serve to further its isolation, and further unite the NATO Alliance,” said Carter.

According to him, NATO must do more to deter and defend against Russian aggression and to meet the challenges to NATO’s south and further abroad.

The United States frequently speaks out against Russia’s aggressive foreign policies.

The Georgian Government shares Washington's concern over Russian aggression and also criticises Moscow and its actions, but at the same time they claim that Georgia must try to peacefully solve conflicts with Russia to avoid being dragged into war.

Georgia is taking steps towards Euro-Atlantic integration, while the United States tries to assist its allies in upgrading their self-defence capabilities.

Georgia still seems to be a target of Russian international policies; even after President Saakashvili, Moscow's implacable enemy, was removed from power in the 2012 parliamentary elections, relations have not improved. Though another armed conflict seems to be unlikely,

Russian aggression remains in the form of its creeping occupation of Georgian territory.