Nato adding troops in eastern Europe

Nato secretary-general Jens Stoltenberg (Olivier Matthys/AP)

Nato leaders are set to agree to station more forces in eastern Europe to deter Russia from invading any member of their ranks and to send equipment to Ukraine to help it defend against chemical or biological attacks, the organisation’s top civilian official said on Wednesday.

Nato estimated on Wednesday that 7,000 to 15,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in four weeks of war in Ukraine, where ferocious fighting by the country’s fast-moving defenders has denied Moscow the lightning victory it sought.