In light of the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite and her Romanian counterpart Klaus Iohannis on Wednesday demanded a greater NATO presence in their countries, dpa reported. "We understand both the Romanian situation in the Black Sea in connection to the occupation of Crimea and the buildup of assault military capacities there, we also have a similar situation in the Kaliningrad region," Grybauskaite said at a joint news conference with the visiting Romanian president in Vilnius. "By supporting each other, we will seek to ensure more security and deterrence elements in both regions. We share interests here," she added. The Romanian president called for proportional NATO efforts to ensure safety on both sides of the alliance's eastern extremities to maintain a balance of power. The Baltic nations - all members of the 28-country NATO - have said in the past that they feel threatened by Russia's actions in Ukraine. Moscow stands accused of supporting pro-Russian separatists in that country and illegally annexing the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea in 2014. In response, NATO has been stepping up its role in the region to deter potential aggressors and reassure its allies. Among its activities was the establishment of six command posts in Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania as part of its reassurance measures. They were meant to help facilitate the quick deployment of NATO troops and coordinate training and exercises.
