Kerry To Travel To Tbilisi, Kyiv Next Week
By RFE/RL
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. State Department says Secretary of State John Kerry will travel to Georgia next week for talks on Tbilisi's push for closer ties with NATO and the European Union.
Department spokesman John Kirby said on June 30 that Kerry will meet with Georgia's president, prime minister, and opposition leaders and raise the issue of upcoming elections in October.
Kirby also said Kerry will travel to Kyiv on the following day, July 7, to meet with Ukraine's president and prime minister, emphasizing the need for ongoing reforms and the implementation of the Minsk cease-fire agreement for eastern Ukraine.
Kerry will also join U.S. President Barack Obama in Warsaw later in the week for a NATO summit, where leaders are expected to endorse a larger deployment of alliance military forces to Eastern Europe.
Putin Vows To React To NATO Buildup But Avoid Costly Arms Race
By RFE/RL
NATO's military buildup near Russia's borders has thrown off the balance of forces there, President Vladimir Putin said, vowing to respond without getting into a costly arms race.
NATO has revealed its anti-Russian intentions by deploying forces in Poland and the Baltics and building missile-defense sites there, Putin told a gathering of Russian diplomats in Moscow on June 30.
"All that is aimed at undermining a military parity that has formed over decades," he said.
NATO has rotated weapons and troops to reassure its eastern members worried about Russia because of its aggression in Ukraine.
Russia views NATO's missile shield, in particular, as a top security threat and has plans to create three new divisions in its southwest region to counter the buildup.
Putin said that Russia will "react adequately" to NATO without being drawn into an expensive arms race.
"We don't intend to give in to this militaristic frenzy, but it seems that is what they are pushing us to, to provoke a costly and pointless arms race," he said.
"This will not happen. But we will also not be weak. We will always be able to defend ourselves reliably."
Based on reporting by AP, AFP, and Interfax
This ends our live blogging for June 30. Be sure to check back tomorrow for our continuing coverage.