NATO on Tuesday activated command units in six central and eastern European members to boost defence amid regional tensions over Russia's actions in Ukraine, Lithuania's defence ministry said.
"NATO today officially activated NATO force integration units in Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Poland, Bulgaria and Romania," ministry spokeswoman Asta Galdikaite told AFP.
The Baltic nation's foreign minister Linas Linkevicius said the move was "a clear sign that NATO takes it's commitments very seriously. It is a clear message both to allies and, of course, opponents who have recently increased the tensions," the minister told AFP, without directly naming Russia.