Britain and its Nato allies will agree this week on an emergency force of up to 5,000 troops ready to deploy within 48 hours in response to Russia’s aggression in Ukraine.
The “spearhead” of a much larger reaction force will be one of the decisions at a summit in Wales that is taking place at a time of “multiple crises” for the alliance in eastern Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, the head of Nato said.
“To the east, Russia and its intervening in Ukraine,” Anders Fogh Rasmussen said. “To the south, we see growing instability with fragile states, the rise of extremism and sectarian strife.”
Nato members, alarmed by President Putin’s interference with Ukraine, are expected to give the green light to the bolstering of defences, which will also involve enhancing bases in the three Baltic states and Poland.
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Small numbers of forces will be rotated in and out of Nato’s eastern flank, while the alliance will place additional weapons, ammunition and other equipment at the expanded bases to enable reinforcements to be flown in and ready to fight.
Other measures expected to be agreed at the summit at Celtic Manor, just outside Newport, south Wales, on Thursday and Friday are:
new support for Ukraine, including a fund headed by Britain and Germany that will be used to help the Ukrainian military to fight more effectively.
a renewed commitment to increase defence spending across all 28 Nato member states.
pledges to bankroll the Afghan military after the end of combat operations this year and a commitment to keep Nato troops there to train and advise.
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David Cameron will host President Obama, Angela Merkel and 25 other leaders of Nato countries plus a further 39 heads of partner states who are due to meet under tight security for the biennial Nato summit.
The crisis in Ukraine will be at the top of the agenda as Kiev warned yesterday that a “great war” had been triggered with Russia that could claim tens of thousands of lives.
The alliance’s 12-point readiness action plan will be the most significant response to Mr Putin’s actions in Ukraine.
Moscow’s manoeuvres, including the insertion of 1,000 troops into eastern Ukraine along with tanks and weapons, have unnerved Nato member states, principally Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia and Poland. However, Germany, which had enjoyed a close relationship with Russia, has been cautious about increasing Nato’s presence along its eastern border.
A treaty signed with Moscow in 1997 forbids Nato from establishing a permanent presence in the Baltic — an agreement that Berlin does not want to contravene, even though Moscow has violated the pact by annexing Crimea.
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The phrase “as long as required”, which is being used, is to avoid accusations that the proposed expansion eastwards is permanent, even though in effect it will mean a rotating Nato presence for as long as Russia remains a threat to the region.
At a pre-summit press conference in Brussels, Mr Rasmussen said: “It will make Nato fitter, faster and more flexible to adjust to all kinds of security challenges. Not because Nato wants to attack anyone, but because the dangers and the threats are more present and more visible. We will do what it takes to defend our allies.”
Measures already taken by Nato, such as the boosting of a Baltic air policing mission out of Lithuania, Estonia and Poland, and the insertion of 600 US troops into Poland, as well as increased training exercises across eastern Europe by Nato members, will become “the new normal”, officials said.
On top of that, the new high readiness force should be largely set up by Christmas. Precise details are still being finalised but it is expected to be include 4,000 to 5,000 military personnel.
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The emergency unit will be ready to move within 48 hours — much faster than an existing 14,000-strong Nato response force, which it will complement.
In a relatively complicated structure there is also a British-led plan to build a separate expeditionary force of at least 10,000 military personnel that could be used to support any emergency Nato offensive to protect its borders.
Another headline initiative will be measures to support Ukraine. In a symbolic gesture of its displeasure with Russia, Nato leaders will hold their only bilateral meeting with President Poroshenko on Thursday afternoon.
They are expected to approve measures to support Kiev that falls short of direct military support. Instead, they will pledge money to four trust funds set up to help the Ukrainian military to purchase better communications and logistical equipment.
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There will also be a push to conduct training with the Ukrainian military, but there is no suggestion that Nato will provide Ukraine with weapons.