Russia Will Retaliate if American Troops Are Stationed Near Its Border

Russia said Monday that it will retaliate if the United States follows through on a plan to station tanks, troops and weapons in nato states that border Russia.

This would be “the most aggressive step by the Pentagon and nato since the Cold War,” Russian defense ministry official General Yuri Yakubov said. He added that the move would prompt Russia to greatly beef up its own forces on “the Western strategic front.” Yakubov said the Russian response would include the deployment of ballistic missiles to Kaliningrad, a Russian exclave that borders Poland and Lithuania.

The Russian Foreign Ministry said that it hoped “the situation in Europe will be prevented from sliding into a new military confrontation which may have dangerous consequences.”