NATO leaders gather amid new menace from old foe

LONDON When leaders of NATOs 28 member nations gather at a resort in the lush hills of Wales on Thursday, they will set the course for a military alliance that has long seemed adrift and archaic but has lately been given new vitality by an old foe: Russia.

Pushed to the point of irrelevance by the peace in Europe that it helped forge, NATO had until recently been casting about for a mission. It found one this year, with the dismemberment of Ukraine.

But NATOs leaders will be under pressure this week to prove that the worlds most powerful military alliance is equal to the new challenge, and can still deter Russia in the way it did during the Cold War.

The evidence in recent months has suggested otherwise, with Russian troops and weapons pouring into Ukraine despite repeated NATO condemnations and warnings. Analysts say that NATO is unlikely to make any bold moves this week that could change the trajectory of the conflict, particularly following news of apparent diplomatic progress on Wednesday. Ukraine is a NATO partner, not a member, and the alliance has repeatedly made clear that it is unwilling to deploy military forces or send arms.

Theres a delicate question about how far you go, as a NATO alliance, before you find yourself in a war with Russia, said Lukasz Kulesa, research director at the European Leadership Network and a former top official in Polands National Security Bureau. The NATO leaders will want to play it safe.

But that does not mean the summit will be any less critical for the organization. Kulesa said NATOs top objective will be to reassure jittery allies in Eastern Europe that fear they could be next in Russias crosshairs.

The member states will want to highlight the difference between, say, Estonia and Ukraine, Kulesa said, citing a NATO member that President Obama visited Wednesday.

Obama, who was to meet in Estonia with leaders from the three Baltic states, said the alliance stands ready to defend them against possible Russian aggression.

You lost your independence before, he said. With NATO, you will never lose it again.

Obama said that progress toward a democratic, free Europe has been endangered by the crisis in Ukraine.

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NATO leaders gather amid new menace from old foe