On Monday, Polish presidential foreign policy adviser Krzysztof Szczerski stated that the three Baltic countries, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Bulgaria and Romania will hold a summit November 3-4 in Bucharest to discuss stationing permanent NATO military bases in the countries.
Answering a question on NATO's support of the action, the official said that "everything NATO does is defensive, proportionate and in line with our international commitments."
According to the official's statement, NATO would not make decisions contradicting the Russia-NATO Founding Act of 1997, explicitly pledging that the alliance will not permanently station substantial combat forces in Eastern and Central Europe.
On August 13, amid Poland's desire to have permanent NATO bases in the country, Polish President Andrzej Duda called on the military alliance to increase its presence in the country during his first address to parliament.
Russia’s relations with NATO deteriorated sharply amid the crisis in Ukraine. The Alliance accused Moscow of meddling in Ukraine’s internal affairs, an allegation Russia has repeatedly denied, expressing concerns over the buildup of NATO forces along its western border, stressing that it could destabilize the region.
