Russia,… NATO is taking measures to ensure that a similar situation does not occur in other parts of the region.
The military alliance has announced plans to launch a rapid response force... of thousands of troops.
Connie Kim has the details.
NATO′s plan to form a spearhead force of thousands of troops to protect its 28 member nations is widely expected to be approved during the NATO summit in Wales on Thursday.
Although the ultimate size of the rapid response force has not been decided, senior officials at NATO say it will consist of an estimated 4-thousand troops that could be deployed to an alliance state within 48 hours.
It′s designed to stave off a future crisis like the one unfolding in eastern Ukraine, where government forces are engaged with pro-Russian rebels.
NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the task force would be trained to counter attacks by unidentified, armed assailants,... tactics NATO says pro-Russian separatists are employing against Ukrainian troops.
It′s the type of action that Ukraine and Baltic state members have been calling for since Russia annexed Crimea in March.
There were questions about what type of measures NATO could take, considering the 1997 NATO-Russia Founding Act prohibits NATO from stationing soldiers in eastern and central Europe permanently.
NATO officials say it will rotate its combat forces in the Baltic states, which would not violate the treaty.
NATO′s move aims to stop a repeat of Russia′s incursion in Ukraine, which President Petro Poroshenko has said is headed toward a "great war" of the likes Europe has yet to see.
Connie Kim, Arirang News.