Hagel meets Estonian Defence Minister at the Pentagon

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STORY: U.S. Defence Secretary Chuck Hagel welcomed Estonian Defence Minister Sven Mikser to the Pentagon on Tuesday (April 29), as the Obama administration seeks to underscore its support for the Baltic nations in wake of Russia's aggression in Crimea.

Mikser recently expressed his view that Estonia expects to see more NATO troops on its territory in reaction to what it fears will be Russian attempts to destabilize the former Soviet republic.

Baltic states Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, each with their own Russian-speaking minorities, have been increasingly worried that Russia's annexation of Crimea could herald destabilization by Moscow in their own region.

The latest deployment of U.S. troops arrived in the Baltics with four British fighter jets on Monday as NATO steps up efforts to reassure its allies in the face of Russian tensions with the West over Ukraine.

A total of 600 U.S. troops are to be deployed to Poland a