NATO and EU close ranks in bid to halt migrants, counter Russia
"...The ministerial meeting in Brussels marks the start of an aggressive push to implement policies adopted at the NATO summit in Warsaw in July, including the stationing of new battalions in Poland, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, totaling between 3,000 and 4,000 soldiers. Critics say that presence may be symbolically important but is hardly sufficient should Russia launch an invasion by ground forces into the Baltics.
The U.S. will lead the battalion in Poland, while Britain will do so in Estonia, Germany in Lithuania, and Canada in Latvia. Other NATO nations, including France, are expected to supply troops. A multinational force is also being readied for deployment in Romania, and NATO has begun efforts to step up naval activity in the Black Sea, officials said, as the alliance seeks to position itself to counter Russian aggression both in Northern and Southern Europe........"