By Andrius Sytas

(Reuters) – NATO allies are discussing increasing their military deployments in the Baltic States to repel Russia. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas spoke to Reuters before Russian officials and NATO officials met Wednesday to discuss ways to reduce tensions.

Russia, having gathered troops at its border to Ukraine, demanded an immediate halt to the deployments of these forces and that no Western defense alliance expansion be allowed. The Russian government began in Brussels Wednesday to make demands of NATO’s thirty allies for European security guarantees.

Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Lithuania once controlled from Moscow are now members of NATO as well as the European Union and long seek more NATO involvement. An official from NATO was not available for comment regarding the possibility of new deployments.

Kallas said that “Ofcourse, we are talking with our allies about increasing their presence here as a deterrent”, in a video interview. He did not give any further details.

If you take a look at the map, it is clear that the Baltic countries are a NATO peninsula. Therefore we have concerns.

Unnamed NATO diplomat said that more Baltic deployments could be discussed at NATO’s defense ministers meeting scheduled for February.

After Russia annexed Crimea in 2014, NATO units were sent to Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia. Their combined strength is just under 1,000 troops. Kallas stated that it was possible to increase the number of existing units.

While constructive negotiations could be held with Moscow, she suggested that the West should let Moscow know that it can escalate the Ukrainian situation and will have to pay severe economic sanctions.

Kallas declared, “It is wrong to fall in the trap and discuss what the West can do. Because West hasn’t done anything wrong.” Kallas stated that the West has not formed any military units to attack Russia.

Moscow denied that it had any intent to be aggressive and said it was entitled to send troops anywhere it chooses within its own borders.