At a meeting on February 16th and 17th, NATO defense ministers are expected to launch a plan that could set up four multinational battle groups in Southeast Europe, Reuters has reported. Groups of about 1,000 troops each could be stationed in Bulgaria and Romania, and possibly in Slovakia and Hungary, as well. No final decisions will be made at the meeting, although France and Bulgaria have offered to lead battalion groups in Romania and Bulgaria, respectively.

According to diplomats in Brussels, Hungary and Slovakia do not want to provoke Russia. NATO may consider creating a multinational force led by France. This would allow Allied troops to flow in and out of the region without being permanently stationed in Eastern Europe, the agency added.