More Boats on the Black Sea

Since Russia's 2014 annexation of Crimea, the balance of naval power in the Black Sea has shifted. Ukraine has been all but pushed out of the arena as Moscow, exploiting its position on the Crimean Peninsula, has built up its fleet strength in the sea. Meanwhile, the strategic importance of the waters has risen in NATO's eyes as the bloc seeks to bolster its deterrence against Russia in Europe. To counter Russia's presence, Turkey and Romania will advocate strengthening the joint NATO naval force in the Black Sea at the security alliance's Warsaw summit on July 8-9. Their proposal will be discussed at the summit, as will the possibility of an increased NATO presence in Poland and the Baltic states and other measures to expand the alliance's presence in the region....