NATO chief says Warsaw summit comes at 'critical time'

Members of the Polish Army military police anti terrorist squad train freeing hostages from a hijacked bus, at a bus depot in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, May 31, 2016. The excercise was a part of preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw in July. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz) (The Associated Press)

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Members of the Polish Army military police anti terrorist squad train detaining 'hijackers', at a bus depot in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, May 31, 2016. The excercise was a part of preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw in July. (AP Photo/Alik Keplicz) (The Associated Press)

Members of the Polish Army military police anti terrorist squad train during a simulated attack of terrorists near the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland, Tuesday, May 31, 2016. The exercise was a part of preparations for the upcoming NATO summit in Warsaw in July. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski) (The Associated Press)

WARSAW, Poland – NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says an upcoming summit in Warsaw comes at a "critical time" as the alliance deals with Russian assertiveness and the threat of terrorism amid other challenges.

Stoltenberg was speaking Tuesday following talks with Poland's Defense Minister Antoni Macierewicz, who said that a bigger NATO presence in Eastern Europe would mean a greater sense of security for Poland.

The July 8-9 summit is to decide how many additional NATO troops to deploy in the east and where.

Stoltenberg said the summit comes amid a "more assertive Russia, intimidating its neighbors," violence in North Africa and the Middle east and terrorism, cyberattacks and ballistic missile proliferation.

He said NATO is responding by "implementing the biggest reinforcement of our collective defense since the end of the Cold War."