NEWSWATCH: “NATO Set to Approve Baltic Force at Warsaw Summit; Alliance officials say they are uncertain how Russia’s Putin will respond” – Wall Street Journal
As the North Atlantic Treaty Organization prepares to kick off its summit here Friday, allies are casting a wary eye on Russia and its reaction to the expected approval of a new alliance force in the Baltic. … described by some as the most important gathering of NATO since the end of the Cold War … will authorize the presence of a NATO force of up to 4,000 troops in the Baltic – the first regular deployment aimed at deterring Moscow since the reunification of Germany more than a quarter-century ago. * * * Key allies, including Germany and France, have pressed to offset the deterrent force with a diplomatic push.
… Obama spoke on the phone with … Putin. … discussed Syria and Ukraine, as well as efforts to settle the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan over … Nagorno-Karabakh …. Russia and NATO have also agreed to a formal meeting in Brussels … July 13 ….