Nato moves to counter Russia

Nato launched a new multinational force in Romania yesterday to counter Russia along its eastern flank and to check a growing Russian presence in the Black Sea following the Kremlin's 2014 seizure of Crimea.

Initially a small force relying on troops from 10 Nato countries including Italy, Canada as well as Romania, the land, air and sea deployments will complement about 900 US troops already in place.

"Our purpose is peace, not war," Romanian President Klaus Iohannis told the Nato Parliamentary Assembly in Bucharest. "We are not a threat for Russia. "But we need dialogue from a strong position of defence and discouragement."