BRUSSELS, March 23. /TASS/. NATO leaders will agree at a summit on March 24 to bolster forces on the alliance’s eastern flank, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.

"I expect leaders will agree to strengthen NATO’s posture in all domains, with major increases in the eastern part of the alliance on land, in the air and at sea," Stoltenberg told a news conference.

According to the secretary general, the first step is the deployment of four new battle groups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia. He also noted that with the new battle groups and existing forces in the Baltic countries and Poland, NATO would have eight multinational groups along the alliance’s eastern flank.

Stoltenberg stressed that the Ukraine crisis has shown that NATO must reset its deterrence and defense posture for the longer term.