08.05 NATO Can't Afford Troops in Eastern Europe – Report

MOSCOW, May 8 (RIA Novosti) – NATO may not have sufficient funds to afford stationing a permanent contingent of troops in Eastern Europe, Russian business daily Kommersant reported on Thursday, citing a source at the Russian Defense Ministry.

"Sending a substantial permanent contingent to Eastern Europe requires sizeable expenses, and we believe, the budget of the alliance will not be large enough," the source said, according to the paper.

The source saw no sense in NATO moving troops into the region, as all NATO countries in the area border Russia’s Western Military District, one of the country’s most well-equipped zones, with advanced air defense and ground forces.

NATO's top military commander Gen. Philip Breedlove said Sunday that NATO members were looking at the possibility of stationing permanent troops in Eastern Europe to defend it against possible Russian intervention in the Baltics and Moldova. The Baltics, which have a large Russian-speaking population, expressed worry after Crimea rejoined Russia in March, he said.

Russia is prepared for NATO's possible permanent presence but sees no need for a symmetrical response, said Dmitry Sablin, a member of the defense and security committee in Russia’s upper house of parliament. He added that Russia can adequately answer NATO's actions, but doesn't plan to spread its military presence in the West.