Obama Offers Military Help To E.Europe Allies Worried By Russia

* Obama under pressure for muscular response to Kremlin
* In Warsaw, he unveils support and training for NATO allies
* White House to review force presence in Europe
* Kremlin says no plan for Putin-Obama meeting this week

By Roberta Rampton and Marcin Goettig

WARSAW, June 3 (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama promised on Tuesday to beef up military support for eastern European members of the NATO alliance who fear they could be next in the firing line after the Kremlin's intervention in Ukraine.

Under attack from critics at home who say his leadership on the world stage has not been muscular enough, Obama unveiled plans to spend up to $1 billion in supporting and training the armed forces of NATO states on Russia's borders.

The White House also said it would review permanent troop deployments in Europe in the light of the Ukraine crisis -- though that fell short of a firm commitment to put troops on the ground that Poland and some of its neighbours had sought.

Stationing troops permanently in eastern Europe would be tricky: many NATO members in Western Europe would baulk at the cost, and a big increase in U.S. forces could prompt reciprocal steps by Moscow and spiral into an arms race.

Moments after landing at Warsaw's Okecie airport at the start of a four-day visit to Europe, Obama set the tone by striding into an aircraft hangar to inspect U.S. fighter jets in Poland for a joint programme with the Polish air force.

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http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/06/03/poland-obama-idUSL1N0OK0AB20140603