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"We will stand
firm on the need for Russia to return to respect of
international law as well as of its international obligations,
responsibilities and commitments as a pre-condition for a
NATO–Russia relationship based on trust and confidence," the
leaders said in a joint declaration.
Russia's seizure of Crimea and support for pro-Kremlin rebels in
eastern Ukraine last year has alarmed Baltic and eastern
European states.
Leaders of the NATO alliance have also expressed concern at what
they see as Moscow's growing military presence from the Baltics
to Syria, after Russia launched air strikes in support of
President Bashar al-Assad five weeks ago.
The declaration also said the leaders would join efforts to
secure "a robust, credible and sustainable" allied military
presence in the region, and would advocate deeper cooperation
between NATO and the European Union.
It was issued after a meeting in Bucharest of heads of state
including Lithuania's Dalia Grybauskaite, Latvia's Raimonds
Vejonis, Estonia's Toomas Hendrik Ilves, Slovakia's Andrej
Kiska, Bulgaria's Rosen Plevneliev and Hungary's Janos Ader.
The talks were co-chaired by Romania's President Klaus Iohannis
and Poland's President Andrzej Duda. The President of the
Chamber of Deputies of the Parliament of the Czech Republic, Jan
Hamacek, and Deputy Secretary-General of NATO, Alexander
Vershbow, also attended.
The U.S.-led alliance's next summit will take place on July 8-9,
2016 in Warsaw.
(Writing by Adrian Krajewski; Editing by Dominic Evans)
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