BRUSSELS: Nato and Russia remain at loggerheads over Ukraine but will consider a proposal to reduce the risk of an accidental military confrontation in Baltic airspace, Nato's chief said on Wednesday.Alliance secretary general Jens Stoltenberg briefed reporters following a meeting of the Nato-Russia Council at Nato headquarters in Brussels. But both sides welcomed a Finnish idea on turn on warplanes' transponders to reduce chances of an incident between Nato and Russian warplanes in the Baltic Sea region. He said "allies will study this proposal carefully," but want more details.The meeting at Nato's Brussels headquarters followed last week's gathering of alliance heads of state and government in Warsaw. Among other things, US President Barack Obama and the other Nato leaders ordered reinforcements for allies closest to Russia with four new multinational battalions for Poland and the Baltic states of Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia.The initial reaction from Moscow has been negative. Stoltenberg said Nato ambassadors briefed Russian counterparts on decisions made at Nato's July 8-9 summit in Warsaw.On Ukraine, "there was not a meeting of the minds today," Stoltenberg said.However, he said the Russians made suggestions on risk reduction moves in Baltic airspace involving the use of warplanes' transponders.

Source: Times of India July 13, 2016 17:37 UTC