Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has said that troops in the Baltic region will help to deter Russian aggression beyond Ukraine and reassure eastern European Nato members.
Fallon has called on Russia to change its strategy in Syria, where it has been carrying out air strikes. Russia’s growing military involvement in the Syria conflict is expected to be high on the agenda of the Nato meeting.
Nato states have already expressed concern regarding Russia’s backing for separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine and its bombing campaign in Syria.
In June, RAF Typhoons, which have been deployed to the Baltic region annually since May 2014, were called away from Estonia to intercept and shadow two Russian military aircraft over the Baltic Sea.
In Ukraine, 19 UK teams have trained almost 1,600 members of the Ukraine Armed Forces (UAF) at eight training sites. By the end of the financial year, the operation is expected to have trained more than 2,000 UAF troops.
Britain has already been sending troops to take part in exercises in the Baltics. The RAF has been sending Typhoon jets to the region to help patrol the skies.
The Defence secretary said the UK deployment was "further reassurance for our allies... for Nato, for the Baltic states and for Poland."
He said the troops were part of a "more persistent presence by Nato forces" to respond to "any further Russian provocation and aggression".
Fallon added: "We are committed to supporting the sovereignty of the democratic nations of Eastern Europe.
"We are already deploying RAF jets to the Baltics and providing crucial training to the Ukrainian armed forces.
"Now we will have a more regular drumbeat of troops deploying in the Baltics and Poland."
While Russia has assured that the air strikes, which are sanctioned by Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, are aimed at so-called Islamic State and ‘other terrorists’, the US and its allies contest that other ‘moderate’ rebel groups have been targeted.
Fallon said: “We'll be calling on Russia specifically to stop propping up the Assad regime, to use their influence constructively to stop Assad bombing his own civilians."
