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                        Key NATO Summit to Open in Wales

   by VOA News

   World leaders are gathering Thursday in Wales for the start of a
   two-day NATO summit expected to focus on the conflict in Ukraine and
   the threat of Islamic extremists in Syria and Iraq.

   In the Welsh city of Newport, NATO is expected to debate formation of a
   rapid response military force capable of deploying on short notice to
   trouble spots in eastern Europe.

   Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko is due to attend as a non-member
   invitee, and officials say he will meet with Western leaders on the
   sidelines of the gathering.

   Russia's foreign minister warned NATO not to offer Ukraine membership
   in the alliance and told the United States not to try to impose its
   will on the former Soviet republic.

   Sergei Lavrov also urged Kyiv and pro-Russian rebels fighting Ukrainian
   forces in eastern Ukraine to back peace moves outlined by President
   Vladimir Putin and avert what he said could be a large-scale crisis in
   the heart of Europe.

   Putin unveiled the seven-point plan on Wednesday.

   "It is precisely at such a moment when a chance has emerged to start
   solving specific problems between Kyiv and the militias that some
   sections of the Kyiv authorities make demands for Ukraine to drop its
   non-aligned status and start joining NATO," Lavrov said at talks with
   the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a rights and
   security group. "It's a blatant attempt to derail all efforts aimed at
   initiating a dialogue on ensuring national reconciliation."

   Underlining Moscow's concerns about U.S. influence on Kyiv, Lavrov
   added: "Some of our Western partners, including unfortunately the most
   influential players - the United States - want victory for NATO and a
   situation where America dictates its will to everyone."

   "This concept of exclusivity, which President Obama has repeatedly
   declared, can lead to no good and has so far led to no good," he said.

   Lavrov promised Russia would take "practical steps" to de-escalate the
   crisis in Ukraine and urged Kyiv and rebel leaders to accept Putin's
   proposals for a ceasefire.

   Also at the summit, NATO leaders are expected to discuss strategies for
   countering the threat from the Islamic State militant group that has
   overrun large parts of northern Iraq and eastern Syria.

   The U.S. has been carrying out airstrikes against the group in Iraq,
   while other alliance members have begun providing humanitarian aid.

   President Obama arrived late Wednesday at a British military base,
   following talks in the Estonian capital with the presidents of Estonia,
   Latvia and Lithuania.

   Speaking in Estonia's capital, Tallinn, the U.S. president condemned
   Russia's intervention in Ukraine as "a brazen assault" on a sovereign
   country. He sought to assure his Baltic counterparts that NATO will
   defend them against any possible Russian aggression. The three Baltic
   countries -- former Soviet republics -- joined NATO in 2004.

   Obama also announced plans to send more aircraft to the Baltics, and he
   said all NATO members must do their fair share of defense spending in
   order to bolster the alliance.

   He cited Estonia as an example of how all 28 NATO members must fulfill
   their pledges to contribute 2 percent of their gross domestic product
   to the alliance.

   Material for this report came from Reuters.
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   [1]http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-britain-nato-summit/2438025.htm
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References

   1. http://www.voanews.com/content/obama-britain-nato-summit/2438025.html