The summit has begun for a second day. From the AP:
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — U.S. President Barack Obama and other NATO leaders have begun the second day of a summit meeting in Warsaw that's expected to lead to decisions about Afghanistan, the central Mediterranean and Iraq.
On Friday, leaders approved the deployment of four multinational NATO battalions to Poland and the Baltic states to deter Russia, as well as a Romanian-Bulgarian brigade for the Black Sea region.
The Warsaw summit, NATO's first in two years, is considered by many to be the alliance's most important since the Cold War.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says NATO needs to adapt to confront an array of new threats to its member nations' security, including cyberattacks and violent extremism generated by radical Muslim organizations like the Islamic State group.
Here's our latest news wrap, focusing on the decision to endorse the new deployments.
WARSAW -- NATO leaders endorsed a major new deployment of armed forces to Eastern Europe, a direct response to growing belligerence from Russia and the largest such move by the alliance since the end of the Cold War.
The decision came as heads of state gathered in the Polish capital July 8 for a two-day summit that U.S. President Barack Obama said “may be the most important moment for our transatlantic alliance" in 25 years.
Aside from Russia, the alliance faces a growing number challenges including Islamic State extremists, cyberattacks, and the influx of millions of people seeking refuge in Europe. Also looming in the background is Britain's vote last month to leave the European Union.
The leaders from the 28 members formally authorized four multinational battalions of up to 1,000 troops to be led by Canada, Germany, Britain, and the United States. They will be stationed in Poland and the three Baltic states.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called the new deployments, which had been announced earlier, an appropriate deterrence against Russia.
"Today, we come together at a time of increasing uncertainty," Stoltenberg said.
"We will take important decisions to strengthen our deterrence and defense to protect our countries from attacks from any direction," he said. "We will agree to enhance our forward presence here in Poland as well as in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. We will also strengthen our presence in the southeastern part of our alliance. And we will step up our cyber and ballistic missile defenses."
Much of the summit’s focus is on Russia, which seized the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014 and backs separatists whose war with Kyiv’s forces has killed more than 9,300 people in Ukraine's east.
Obama reiterated that in a commentary published on the Financial Times website shortly before the summit began.
“Russia’s aggression against Ukraine threatens our vision of a Europe that is whole, free, and at peace,” Obama wrote.
He highlighted attacks that have been fueled by Islamic State militants’ extremist ideology, attacks that “slaughtered innocents in NATO countries, from Orlando to Paris to Brussels to Istanbul.” And he focused on Britain’s vote to leave the European Union, and conflicts “from Africa to Syria to Afghanistan” that have sent migrants to Europe.
“I believe that our nations must summon the political will, and make concrete commitments, to meet these urgent challenges,” wrote Obama, who also met with EU leaders. “In Warsaw, we must reaffirm our determination -- our duty under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty -- to defend every NATO ally.”
The treaty’s Article 5 is the most important component of the alliance, obligating all members to come to the aid of another member if it is attacked. The clause has been invoked only once in the alliance’s 67-year history: after the terrorist attacks on the United States on Sept. 11, 2001.
Russia’s interference in Ukraine has increased concerns in Poland and Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which were under Moscow’s thumb until the disintegration of the Soviet Union a quarter-century ago. All are now NATO members.
"We are witnessing the policy of aggression and notorious lack of respect for international law, internal sovereignty, and territorial integrity," Polish President Andrzej Duda said in opening remarks.
Further reflecting the unease many European nations are feeling toward Russia, the leaders of Finland and Sweden— neither of whom are members— were attending the summit for the first time. Governments in both countries have openly discussed the possibility of closer cooperation, or even outright membership, in the alliance, a possibility that prompted thinly veiled threats from Moscow.
The U.S.-led battalion comes on top of an additional armored U.S. brigade, which U.S. officials announced earlier this year would begin rotating into Eastern Europe on a regular basis. That brings the number of fully manned U.S. combat brigades with a presence in Europe to three. A brigade comprises about 4,200 to 4,500 troops.
Stoltenberg and other leaders also tried to offer a fig leaf to Moscow, saying alliance would "continue to seek meaningful and constructive dialogue" with Russia, which he called “an integral part of European security."
"NATO does not seek confrontation.... The Cold War is history and should remain history,” he said.
The NATO-Russia Council, which was set up in the 1990s to address Russia’s misgivings about the alliance expanding eastward, is to meet next week for the second time this year. The council was suspended in 2014 following Russia’s seizure of Crimea.
“Even as our nations remain open to a more constructive relationship with Russia, we should agree that sanctions on Russia must remain in place until Moscow fully implements its obligations in Ukraine,” Obama said.
French President Francois Hollande also sounded a conciliatory note toward Russia, saying it should not be considered a threat but rather a partner.
"NATO has no role at all to be saying what Europe's relations with Russia should be. For France, Russia is not an adversary, not a threat," Hollande said.
"Russia is a partner which, it is true, may sometimes, and we have seen that in Ukraine, use force which we have condemned when it annexed Crimea," he added.
Earlier, Duda took an even harder line, saying NATO must stand firm in the face of what he called Russian “blackmail and aggression.”
“Everyone who is tempted to apply the rule of force even for a moment” must be made to “understand quickly that is does not pay off,” Duda said.
In addition to military force, Western governments say President Vladimir Putin’s Russia has used cyberattacks, propaganda, and other methods in an effort to destabilize European countries and undermine Western unity.
In Moscow, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that it was “absurd to speak of a threat from Russia” and that Moscow hoped "common sense" would prevail at the summit.
“Russia was and is open to dialogue and interested in cooperation -- but only on a mutually beneficial basis and taking into account mutual interests,” Peskov said in a conference call with journalists on July 8.
In an interview in the newspaper Kommersant, Russia's ambassador to NATO, Aleksandr Grushko, said the alliance has a “confrontational agenda" and that Moscow would take countermeasures.
NATO leaders, however, have said Russia’s aggression in Ukraine was what led to the deploying of additional forces. They have also taken Moscow to task for potentially dangerous maneuvers in recent months such as jets buzzing U.S. warships.
Critics of the increased NATO deployments say they are too small to serve as a serious deterrent and may only increase Russia’s ire.
But former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said that "Putin needs no provoking -- he is the provocateur.”
“We need to remember that Putin will be far less likely to engage in provocation if he sees a NATO that is unified, strong, and determined to push back against any aggressive move on his part,” Albright said at a discussion of experts held alongside the summit.
One thing that is not expected is substantial movement toward NATO membership for Ukraine or for Georgia. Those two countries’ aspirations join the alliance were a catalyst of a five-day war in 2008 during which Russian forces drove deep into the former Soviet republic.
Montenegro, however, is participating in the Warsaw Summit as an observer after signing a preliminary agreement in May. The Balkans nations is expected to formally join the alliance next year.
Beyond NATO, Obama said that “our alliance must do more on behalf of global security, especially on Europe’s southern flank. NATO should intensify its commitment to the campaign to destroy (IS) and do more to help the EU shut down criminal networks that are exploiting desperate migrants crossing the Mediterranean and Aegean seas.”
He said his decision to maintain 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan though the end of his presidency “should encourage more allies and partners to affirm their commitment to the NATO mission to train Afghan forces.”
With reporting by AP, dpa, Interfax, The Financial Times, Reuters.
And here is our very own Brian Whitwore, aka The Power Vertical, blogging from the summit:
Here is the latest wrap from our news desk:
NATO leaders vowed on July 8 to strengthen the alliance’s defenses near its borders with Russia and address an array of challenges ranging from Moscow's assertive actions, Islamic State extremists, cyberattacks, and conflicts that have prompted millions of people to seek refuge in Europe.
With Britain's vote to leave the European Union casting a shadow on Western unity, heads of state are meeting in Warsaw for a two-day NATO summit that U.S. President Barack Obama said “may be the most important moment for our transatlantic alliance since the end of the Cold War.”
"Today, we come together at a time of increasing uncertainty," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, opening the summit and thanking soldiers who stood at attention for protecting "nearly 1 billion people" in the alliance's 28 member-states in Europe and North America.
"We will take important decisions to strengthen our deterrence and defense to protect our countries from attacks from any direction," Stoltenberg said. "We will agree to enhance our forward presence here in Poland as well as in Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania. We will also strengthen our presence in the southeastern part of our alliance. and we will step up our cyber and ballistic missile defenses."
Much of the focus is on Russia, which seized the Crimean Peninsula from Ukraine in March 2014 and backs separatists whose war with Kyiv’s forces has killed more than 9,300 people in Ukraine's eastern Donbas region.
“Russia’s aggression against Ukraine threatens our vision of a Europe that is whole, free, and at peace,” Obama wrote in a commentary published on the Financial Times website shortly before the summit began.
He also highlighted IS attacks that have “slaughtered innocents in NATO countries, from Orlando to Paris to Brussels to Istanbul,” the ‘Brexit’ vote, and conflicts “from Africa to Syria to Afghanistan” that have sent migrants to Europe.
“I believe that our nations must summon the political will, and make concrete commitments, to meet these urgent challenges,” wrote Obama, who also met with EU leaders. “In Warsaw, we must reaffirm our determination -- our duty under Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty -- to defend every NATO ally.”
Russia’s interference in Ukraine has increased concerns in eastern NATO nations including Poland and the Baltic states of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, which were under Moscow’s thumb until the collapse of communism and the disintegration of the Soviet Union a quarter-century ago.
"We are witnessing the policy of aggression and notorious lack of respect for international law, internal sovereignty, and territorial integrity," the summigt host, POlish Prwesident Andrzej Duda, said in opening remarks.
The leaders of Finland and Sweden are sitting beside their NATO counterparts at an alliance summit for the first time, reflecting growing cooperation amid an increase in Russian military activity near their borders.
Stoltenberg waid that the alliance has "come a long way" since its last summit in September 2014, when the West was still stunned by Russia's actions. "We have made NATO faster, stronger, and more ready. Today we will take the next steps."
The NATO chief said the allies will agree to the deployment of four multinational battalions of up to 1,000 troops led by Canada, Germany, Britain, and the United States. They are to be deployed in Poland and the three Baltic states on a rotating basis – part of what he called “the greatest increase of our collective defense since the end of the Cold War.”
"As the Alliance prepares to enhance our forward presence in eastern Europe. I can announce that the U.S. will be the lead nation for the NATO presence here in Poland. That means the U.S. will deploy a battalion, roughly 1,000 American soldiers, here in Poland on a rotational basis to serve shoulder to shoulder with Polish soldiers," Obama said after meeting with Polish President Andrzej Duda.
"In addition, when a new U.S. armored brigade begins rotating through Europe next year, its headquarters will be here in Poland," Obama said.
And Stoltenberg said NATO will also “transform a Romanian brigade into a multinational brigade to strengthen our posture in the southeastern part of the alliance.”
At the same time, Stoltenberg stressed that NATO will "continue to seek meaningful and constructive dialogue" with Russia, which he called “an integral part of European security."
"NATO does not seek confrontation.... The Cold War is history and should remain history."
Stoltenberg cited the creation in the 1990s of the NATO-Russia Council, which is to meet next week for the second time this year after a hiatus following Russia’s seizure of Crimea.
Obama said that “even as our nations remain open to a more constructive relationship with Russia, we should agree that sanctions on Russia must remain in place until Moscow fully implements its obligations” under the Minsk agreements, a 2015 accord aimed to end the war in eastern Ukraine.
Without naming Russia
At the experts’ forum, Duda said NATO must stand firm in the face of what he called Russian “blackmail and aggression.”
“Everyone who is tempted to apply the rule of force even for a moment” must be made to “understand quickly that is does not pay off,” Duda said.
In addition to military force, Western governments say President Vladimir Putin’s Russia has used cyberattacks, propaganda, and other methods in an effort to destabilize European countries and undermine Western unity.
Stoltenberg and EU leaders signed a deal that the NATO chief said gave "new substance, new impetus" to the EU-NATO partnership in facing challenges including hybrid warfare and cyberattacks.
Putin’s spokesman said that it is “absurd to speak of a threat from Russia” and that Moscow hopes "common sense" will prevail at the summit.
“Russia was and is open to dialogue and interested in cooperation -- but only on a mutually beneficial basis and taking into account mutual interests,” Dmitry Peskov said in a conference call with journalists on July 8.
NATO's moves to bolster its defenses have angered Moscow, which has long accused the alliance of stoking hostilities with its eastward expansion over the past two decades.
In an interview in the newspaper Kommersant, Russia's ambassador to NATO, Aleksandr Grushko, said the alliance has a “confrontational agenda" and that Moscow would take countermeasures.
NATO rejects these charges, saying that Russia’s aggression in Ukraine has forced a response and taking Moscow to task over potentially dangerous military moves such as jets buzzing U.S. warships.
Critics of the NATO moves say the planned deployments are not large enough to serve as a serious deterrent to Russia and may only increase its ire.
But former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said that "Putin needs no provoking -- he is the provocateur.”
“We need to remember that Putin will be far less likely to engage in provocation if he sees a NATO that is unified, strong, and determined to push back against any aggressive move on his part,” Albright said at the experts’ forum.
Obama said NATO and the EU must “increase our support for Ukraine as it defends its sovereignty and territorial integrity.”
One thing that is not expected in Warsaw is substantial movement toward NATO membership for Ukraine or for Georgia, whose aspirations to join the alliance were a catalyst of a five-day war in 2008 during which Russian forces drove deep into the former Soviet republic.
Montenegro, however, is participating in the Warsaw Summit as an observer after signing an Accession Protocol with NATO in May, and is expected to join the alliance next year.
Beyond NATO, Obama said that “our alliance must do more on behalf of global security, especially on Europe’s southern flank. NATO should intensify its commitment to the campaign to destroy (IS) and do more to help the EU shut down criminal networks that are exploiting desperate migrants crossing the Mediterranean and Aegean seas.”
He said his decision to maintain 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan though the end of his presidency “should encourage more allies and partners to affirm their commitment to the NATO mission to train Afghan forces.”
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance would take "important decisions that will shape security for many years to come" during the summit.