NATO has vowed to hold "continuous" military exercises in eastern Europe to deter Russia but has yet to respond to a request by Baltic states for a permanent brigade.
Kazakhstan's President Nazarbayev and the Kazakh PM Karim Massimov have held a meeting with the PM of Lithuania Algirdas Butkevičius, who came to Kazakhstan fro the VIII Astana Economic Forum.
Despite pressure from sanctions and a high-level Franco-German mediation, the conflict in east Ukraine shows little sign of ending, Lithuania's foreign minister said.
Lithuanians began voting Sunday to elect their president, with incumbent "Iron Lady" Dalia Grybauskaite a shoo-in as fears in the EU Baltic state soar over a resurgent Russia.
Four French fighter jets will join NATO air patrols over the Baltics starting on Sunday, France's chief of defense staff said Wednesday during a visit to Washington.
The United States is deploying about 600 troops to Poland and the Baltics to underscore its commitment to NATO allies amid tensions with Russia over the crisis in Ukraine, the Pentagon said.
The UN Security Council on Friday held a brief "private meeting" followed by consultations to discuss concerns about rapidly changing events in Ukraine.
Washington has joined Russia's neighbours in voicing alarm after Moscow revealed it had moved nuclear-capable Iskander missiles closer to EU borders in response to the US-led deployment of a disputed air defence shield.
Though the European Union appears to have lost to Russia in the first round of an East-West tussle over winning friends and influence in eastern Europe, some analysts would disagree.