US Lt. Gen: Belarusian and Russian Troops Can Block the Suwalki Corridor in Poland

Russian capacities in its Kaliningrad region and the Suwalki corridor in Poland could hinder the defense of the Baltic States.

Commander of the United States Army Europe, Lieutenant General Ben Hodges warns, ru.DELFI.lt writes.

At a meeting with US troops serving in Lithuania in the end of last week, Hodges said that Russian army brigades, a naval brigade, two military airbases, plus part of the Russian Baltic Fleet were deployed in the Kaliningrad region.

"Kaliningrad now has the ability to deny access of our Navy or any NATO Navy to come to the Baltic Sea, Hodges said. - From Kaliningrad Russia can stop from entering coming in to the Baltic Sea, and there we have three NATO Allies – Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.”

American military man added that the possibility for Russia to block access to the Baltic Sea was a "serious threat to our allies and friends."

Hodges also told Americans about the territory in the north-east of Poland, which borders with Kaliningrad in the north and Belarus in the east.

"That area we call the Suwalki gap," he said. "In a very short amount of time, they [Belarusian and Russian troops] can connect and block the borders of Poland and Lithuania and that's how they can isolate three NATO Allies from the rest of the alliance," Hodges said.

According to him, this is why the United States and NATO should deter Russia from attacking the Baltic States. "Coming and freeing our Allies is much more expensive than deterrence," he stressed.