Poland, Lithuania leaders meet troops at NATO bottleneck

By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA and MICHAL DYJUK
Associated Press

SZYPLISZKI, Poland (AP) — The presidents of NATO members Poland and Lithuania have voiced confidence that allied troops can fully safeguard a strategically vital corridor, which links their countries, between Russian ally Belarus and a Russian Baltic Sea exclave. Concern over NATO’s ability to defend the so called Suwalki Gap, a 70-kilometer (43-mile) wedge joining Poland and Lithuania, has rocketed since Russia invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24. The bottleneck separates Belarus from the Kaliningrad exclave, where Russia’s Baltic Fleet — and nuclear-capable missiles — are based. “This is a very sensitive area and the eyes of an aggressor could potentially be directed here,” the Lithuanian president said, speaking on the Polish side of the border.