The Deputy Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, "NATO", considered, on Sunday, that the alliance is free from its previous commitments not to deploy forces in Eastern Europe.
Mirchia Giwana told AFP that by attacking Ukraine, Moscow "emptied" the constitutive law on joint relations, cooperation and security between Russia and NATO.
The two parties agreed under the founding law signed in 1997 to work "to prevent any build-up of conventional forces that poses a potential threat in agreed areas of Europe, including Central and Eastern Europe."
Jiwana said in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania: "They made decisions and pledges there not to attack the neighbors, which they are doing now, and also to hold regular consultations with NATO, which they do not."
He added, "I think that this founding law is in principle disabled because of Russia," noting that Russia has effectively moved away from the terms of the 1997 agreement.
"Now there are no restrictions on having a strong presence in the eastern flank and ensuring that every inch of NATO territory is protected under Chapter V and our allies," Jiwana stressed.
Article V of the North Atlantic Treaty states that any armed attack against one or more members of the alliance, in Europe or North America, is an aggression against them all.
Jiwana did not give details of any planned deployment of troops, but he expected "a strong, flexible and sustainable presence".
And in 2017, NATO deployed multinational tactical groups in the Baltic states and Poland as a deterrent. And after the Russian attack on Ukraine at the end of February, he reinforced it.
The Baltic states called for a greater presence of their allies in the region, including the development of brigades to replace smaller tactical groups.
NATO defense ministers will meet in June to discuss this issue and others, and the leaders of NATO member states will hold a summit in Madrid to approve any amendments.
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