NATO head warns of 'a more assertive Russia'

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Europe

01:46

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has issued a warning about the threat of “a more assertive Russia.”

He said NATO allies have agreed on a package of measures to step up support for Ukraine and Georgia, which includes increased surveillance drills and sharing information.

As allies gather in Washington to mark the 70th anniversary NATO, U.S. officials are seeking to build up the alliance's presence in the Black Sea. But that suggestion is likely to anger Moscow.

A plenary meeting of the North Atlantic Council (NATO) Foreign Ministers' Session starts at the State Department in Washington, April 4, 2019. /VCG Photo

The warning from Stoltenberg came as the U.S. ambassador to NATO is calling for the alliance to expand its presence in the Black Sea region near Russia.

NATO allies are due to hold naval drills in the Black Sea later this month, where has been a flashpoint between Russia and the West since 2014.

Last November, tensions escalated when Russian border forces opened fire on three Ukrainian naval vessels that were trying to pass through the Kerch Strait.

The Russian foreign ministry said a NATO buildup on the Black Sea encourages what it called “Ukrainian provocations.”

Ukrainian military reservists undergo tank training at the 169th Training Center in Desna, Ukraine, December 19, 2018. /VCG Photo

All of this came as Russia found itself at the center of another NATO dispute.

The U.S. has issued Turkey an ultimatum to pull out of a deal with Russia to buy the S-400 anti-missile defense system.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence accused Turkey of making “reckless decisions that undermine our alliance.”

In her weekly briefing on Thursday, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said NATO has only brought chaos and destruction.

She said on NATO's birthday she wishes the leadership wisdom, which she believed it's currently lacking.