Nato leaders prepare for threats from Russia

Nato leaders are gearing up for a long-term stand-off with Russia, ordering multinational troops to Poland and the three Baltic states as Moscow moves forward with its own plans to station two new divisions along its western borders.

The alliance's secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg said that on the first day of a landmark two-day summit, US President Barack Obama and leaders of the 27 other Nato countries also declared the initial building blocks of a ballistic missile defence system operationally capable.