DHAKA: US Secretary of State John Kerry is to hold talks in Ukraine, as Washington mulls whether to start sending weapons to help Kiev fight pro-Russian rebels.

Ashton Carter, the White House’s choice for defence secretary, earlier said he was ‘inclined’ to start supplying arms.

The US has so far only provided ‘non-lethal’ assistance to Ukraine, reports the BBC.

Meanwhile, Nato is set to unveil what the bloc’s chief says are ‘the biggest reinforcement’ of its ‘collective defence since the end of the Cold War’.

At a meeting in Brussels, Nato defence ministers will seek to reassure the alliance’s nations in Eastern Europe and to deter a potential Russian threat to the Baltic states or other bloc members should the crisis in Ukraine spin out of control, the BBC's Jonathan Marcus reports.

Our correspondent says a brigade-sized spearhead force is to be established - about 4,000-5,000-strong. Its lead units will be able to move east at two days' notice.

Small command centres are also to be set up in Estonia, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland Bulgaria and Romania.

Russia denies accusations by Ukraine and the West that it is arming the rebels in eastern Ukraine and sending its regular troops across the border.

BDST: 1210 HRS, FEB 05, 2015