From RIA Novosti: NATO should hold large-scale exercises of its Ground Forces in the Baltic region in response to recent military drills carried out by Russia and Belarus near the alliance’s borders, the Estonian president said Monday…

“The protection of the airspace over the Baltic region is a visible and necessary measure, but it would be good, while Russia holds land-based drills involving over 20,000 personnel near NATO borders, to conduct similar exercises of the alliance’s Ground Forces in this [Baltic] region,” Toomas Hendrik Ilves said.

According to the Estonian president, NATO has so far showed its credible presence in the region only through the Air Policing mission, which is not enough…

Ilves said on Monday that NATO must not be overly optimistic in terms of the ‘reset’ of relations with Russia in the light of the recent military conflict between Moscow and Tbilisi, ‘gas wars’ between Russia and Ukraine, and the recent Russian-Belarusian large-scale military exercises. (photo: AFP)