Nato is to agree on a rapid response force of several thousand troops to protect Eastern European members against possible Russian aggression, says its secretary general.

Anders Fogh Rasmussen said the force could be deployed within 48 hours.

The new measures are set to be approved at a Nato summit in Wales this week.

It comes after Nato members in eastern and Baltic states voiced concern over Russia's regional ambitions in the wake of the continuing Ukraine crisis.

Mr Rasmussen said military equipment and supplies would be pre-positioned in member states in the east as part of a Readiness Action Plan, enabling the quick deployment of the force.

It would make the Western military alliance a more visible presence in Eastern Europe and "fitter, faster and more flexible to adjust to all kinds of security challenges," he told reporters in Brussels on Monday.

In response to the Ukraine crisis, Nato is to establish a new rapidly deployable "spearhead" force capable of being deployed within a matter of only two days.

This is all part of a much wider overhaul of Nato's response forces which Nato officials say is not solely linked to Ukraine; it will be capable of deploying anywhere within the alliance to give immediate reassurance and a demonstration of alliance resolve.

For such a force to be effective there will have to be regular exercises and Nato officials note that headquarters and other so-called "enablers" - key logistics elements for example - will need to be based closer to areas of potential threat - for that read closer to Nato's eastern and southern borders. Fuel stocks and ammunition may also need to be pre-positioned further east.

Bakudaily.Az