NATO Deploys thousands of troops in Baltics, Poland to Counter 'Russian Aggression'

(Vatican Radio) Leaders of the NATO military alliance have agreed to deploy thousands of multinational forces in the Baltic states and Poland to deter what they view as potential Russian aggression amid the worst East-West tensions since the Cold War.

Listen to Stefan Bos' report

The official approval came during a two-day summit in Warsaw, Poland, despite opposition from Moscow, which has threatened
to respond with its own troop movements towards borders with NATO countries.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg confirmed that for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union,
multinational troops will continuously rotate through four countries in Eastern Europe.

He announced that as many as 4,000 troops in four battalions will be in place starting next year in
Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia."We have decided to enhance our military presence in the
Eastern part of the alliance," he said. "And I am pleased to announce that Canada will be the framework nation for Latvia,
Germany will lead the battalion in Lithuania, the United Kingdom will lead in Estonia and United States will serve as a
framework nation in Poland,” Stoltenberg told reporters.

The deployment comes amid mounting concerns in these former Communist countries that they could be targeted by
Russia after it already annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and allegedly began supporting pro-Russian separatists
in eastern Ukraine.

LITHUANIA PLEASED

Lithuanian Foreign Minister Linas Linkevicius told reporters that he welcomed the decision to deploy
a NATO battalion to his country. "We are not talking just about one battalion to be deployed. We are talking about a system,
about engagement about a framework, about the rotation of multinational troops," the minister explained.

"And this is more important. So we will have several times more presence of allied soldiers on our territory, in the proximity
of our region. That gives us really more credibility, more security and that is exactly that we expected." Linkevicius added.

Yet, NATO chief Stoltenberg denied that the alliance was threatening Russia or seeking a new Cold War and said
the measures were part of efforts to deal with an increasingly dangerous world. “We do not seek confrontation. We continue
to seek a constructive dialogue with Russia," he said.

"Russia is our biggest neighbour, it is a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council and it plays an important role
in security challenges in and around Europe,” Stoltenberg stressed.

RUSSIA UPSET

As the summit began, Moscow said talk of a threat from Russia was absurd, adding that it hoped “common sense”
would prevail and that it remained open to dialogue with NATO.

Beside tensions with Russia, NATO leaders also discussed threats in the Middle East. U.S. President Barack Obama, who was
to leave Europe earlier to deal with the aftermath of deadly shootings in Dallas, Texas, said NATO must summon the political
will and make commitments to meet challenges from not only Russia but also from Islamic State group
extremists.

He added that it also was crucial to deal with Britain's decision to leave the European Union in a recent referendum and
and to deal with conflicts that have prompted millions of people to seek refuge in Europe.

The summit in Warsaw has been described as NATO's most important meeting since the Cold War.