Russia envoy says Moscow will respond to NATO buildup
Russia’s envoy to NATO says Moscow is concerned by the alliance’s military deployment in the Baltic States and Poland and will respond to the buildup.
Ambassador Alexander Grushko said June 1 that “NATO is building a new military security situation that we cannot ignore, that we should address using our own military instruments.”
Twelve NATO countries are deploying a total of around 4,600 troops to Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland and all four battle groups are due to be up and running within two weeks.
NATO says it is aimed at countering aggression by Russia, which annexed Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in 2014.
Grushko also says Russia sees no shift in U.S. defense policy since President Donald Trump came to office. AP
Air Force Museum visitors settle federal lawsuit
An Ohio family handcuffed and held at gunpoint during a visit to the National Air Force Museum in Dayton, Ohio, has settled a federal civil lawsuit for $40,000.
The Dayton Daily News reports Alice and Wendy Hill must drop their claims as part of the settlement and pay their attorneys out of the $40,000.
Air Force base security drew guns on the Hills’ van as the family left the museum parking lot in April 2014. A 911 caller reported a family casing visitor vehicles. The Hills say then 8-year-old Aaron was looking at car license plates from all the different states.
The family originally sought $75,000 and a jury trial in their lawsuit. Their attorney says he believes the settlement amount is fair.
Air Force officials have since apologized, offering another visit. AP