BREAKING NEWS

NATO stages major military exercise in Latvia after Wales summit

By REUTERS

SEPTEMBER 6, 2014 20:20

RIGA - NATO staged a major military exercise in Latvia on Saturday in a practical demonstration of NATO leaders' commitment to defend its Baltic member states in the face of an assertive Russia.

A NATO meeting in Wales on Friday agreed to form a new rapid reaction force and to step up exercises in eastern Europe in response to Russia's actions in Ukraine.

Allies in the Baltics fear Russian President Vladimir Putin could use the same rationale as he used to explain intervention in Crimea - defending Russian speakers - to justify an attack against one of the NATO countries in the Baltics, which also have Russian-speaking minorities.

On Friday night around 500 paratroopers landed at Lielvarde airport, about 60 km (35 miles) from Latvia's capital Riga, along with hundreds of vehicles and aircraft as the exercise Steadfast Javelin II simulates a deployment of NATO soldiers and equipment in another country in a crisis situation.

In total, 2,000 soldiers from nine nations are carrying out exercises across five countries - Germany, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland from Sept. 2 to Sept. 8.

"We want to assure our people that we are able to protect them," said General Hans-Lothar Domrose, commander of the NATO military command in Brunssum, the Netherlands.

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