As NATO leaders prepare to gather in nearby Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, on Tuesday, the Baltic nations and the others on Europe’s eastern flank are feeling especially vulnerable.
Supporting Ukraine and clarifying its relationship with the alliance will be a dominant theme at an upcoming summit. But NATO’s efforts to strengthen its own defenses along its eastern flank will also be key.
NATO is developing detailed war plans and a commitment of troops, equipment and money not seen since the end of the Cold War. Political approval of those plans is at the centre of the annual summit meeting, in Vilnius, the Lithuanian capital, from July 11.
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The pending appeal of Eduard Kokoity, leader of the secessionistterritory of South Ossetia, to the Russian Federation'sConstitutional Court to allow his territory to join Mother Russiacould trigger destabilization in the Caucasus, sparking aRussian-Georgian military confrontation and unpredictableconsequences for the region and the world.