WASHINGTON (Sputnik) — The United States and its NATO allies will discuss ways to deter alleged Russian aggression at the alliance meeting next month in Warsaw, Poland, US Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter said at the Center for a New American Security in Washington, DC on Monday.
“Next month when I accompany President [Barack] Obama to the NATO Summit in Warsaw, we all need to do more to deter and defend against Russian aggression,” Carter stated.
A NATO summit is scheduled for July 8-9, and will be held at the National Stadium in Warsaw. The members of the alliance are set to discuss increasing military activities on NATO's eastern flank among other issues.
The United States, Carter added, has done more than its fair share to strengthen NATO’s deterrence posture in Europe to check Russian actions, including quadrupling funding for the European Reassurance Initiative.
NATO has been reinforcing its military presence in Europe, particularly in Eastern European states, since the outbreak of the Ukrainian crisis, citing Russia's alleged interference in that conflict as justification for the move. Moscow has repeatedly denied the accusations, calling NATO's military buildup near Russia’s borders a provocation.
