Key NATO Summit to Open in Wales | WPN World People News

World leaders are gathering Thursday in Wales for the start of a two-day NATO summit expected to focus on the conflict in Ukraine and the threat of Islamic extremists in Syria and Iraq.

In the Welsh city of Newport, NATO is expected to debate formation of a rapid response military force capable of deploying on short notice to trouble spots in eastern Europe.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is due to attend as a non-member invitee, and officials say he will meet with Western leaders on the sidelines of the gathering.

Russia, which has strongly opposed any NATO presence near its borders, has denounced the idea of a rapid response unit. Earlier this week, Russia said it will review its own military strategies in eastern Europe if NATO endorses creation of the force.

Also at the summit, NATO leaders are expected to discuss strategies for countering the threat from the Islamic State militant group that has overrun large parts of northern Iraq and eastern Syria.

The U.S. has been carrying out airstrikes against the group in Iraq, while other alliance members have begun providing humanitarian aid.

President Barack Obama arrived late Wednesday at a British military base, following talks in the Estonian capital with the presidents of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.

Speaking in Estonia's capital, Tallinn, the U.S. president condemned Russia's intervention in Ukraine as "a brazen assault" on a sovereign country. He sought to assure his Baltic counterparts that NATO will defend them against any possible Russian aggression. The three Baltic countries -- former Soviet republics -- joined NATO in 2004.

Obama also announced plans to send more aircraft to the Baltics, and he said all NATO members must do their fair share of defense spending in order to bolster the alliance.

He cited Estonia as an example of how all 28 NATO members must fulfill their pledges to contribute 2 percent of their gross domestic product to the alliance.

Source: Voice of America