Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Monday that NATO is expanding its presence in Eastern Europe via temporary deployments of additional forces and equipment, and is considering additional permanent bases in the Baltics amid Russia’s military actions in Ukraine. Blinken made the remarks at a March 7 press conference in Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania, where he sought to reassure Washington’s Eastern European allies, who have been rattled by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and fear they could be next. “If there is any aggression anywhere on NATO territory, on NATO countries, we the United States, all of our allies and partners, will take action to defend every inch of NATO territory,” Blinken said, referring to the alliance’s Article 5 pledge, where an attack on one is considered an attack against all. “It’s as clear and direct as that,” Blinken said, adding, “No one should doubt our readiness; no one should …