In the second half of September Russia and Belarus held military exercises codenamed Zapad-2009 and Ladoga-2009. These were the largest exercises of their kind on Russia's western borders since the end of the Cold War. At least 30 000 soldiers, 100 planes and helicopters and 20 warships took part. The last time a maritime landing exercise of a similar scale was held was in 1981, at the height of the Cold War.

The exercises were significant in terms of not just their scale but also their timing and location. The active phase of the Zapad-2009 exercise began on 18 September, coinciding almost exactly with the 70th anniversary of the Soviet invasion of Poland in 1939. Part of the operations took place at the mouth of the Bay of Gdańsk, and all the experts concur that Ladoga-2009 had all the makings of preparations for a potential attack on the Baltic States and Finland, stretching as it did the full length of the border between Russia and those countries.

Both the EU and NATO have, to date, failed to react to what were openly hostile acts on the part of the Russian Federation. Neither organisation has yet formulated a strategy for defence against an invasion from the east, because some European NATO members consider the issue to be too sensitive politically.

Given the above, does the Council intend to make an appropriate response to Russia's recent provocative behaviour, as embodied by the military exercises referred to above, and what is its position on the matter?