NATO to launch Black Sea force as latest counter to Russia

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg addresses the 63rd NATO Parliamentary Assembly in Bucharest, Romania, October 9, 2017. Inquam Photos/George Calin/via REUTERS

BUCHAREST (Reuters) - NATO is set to launch a new multinational force in Romania on Monday to counter Russia along its eastern flank and to check a growing Russian presence in the Black Sea following the Kremlin's 2014 seizure of Crimea.

Initially a small force relying on troops from 10 NATO countries including Italy, Canada as well as Romania, the land, air and sea deployments will complement about 900 U.S. troops already in place.