NATO agrees to beef up eastern flank after Ukraine attacked

By LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO has agreed to beef up its land, sea and air forces on its eastern flank near Ukraine and Russia after President Vladimir Putin ordered a military offensive in Ukraine.  NATO ambassadors said in a statement after emergency talks Thursday that “we are deploying additional defensive land and air forces to the eastern part of the alliance, as well as additional maritime assets.” Some of NATO’s 30 member countries are supplying arms, ammunition and other equipment to Ukraine. But NATO as an organization isn’t. It won’t launch any military action in support of Ukraine which is a close partner but has no prospect of joining.