TALLINN - The US will pre-position heavy weapons, including tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and artillery in central and eastern Europe for the first time, US Defence Secretary Ashton Carter said Tuesday in Estonia's capital Tallinn.

"We will temporarily stage one armoured brigade combat team's vehicles and associated equipment in countries in central and eastern Europe," Carter said at a joint press conference with three Baltic defence ministers.

"This pre-positioned European activity set includes tanks, infantry fighting vehicles artillery," he confirmed, adding that "Estonia as well as Lithuania, Latvia, Bulgaria, Romania and Poland have agreed to host company to battalion-sized elements of this equipment, which will be moved around the region for training and exercises."

The announcement comes as NATO vowed Monday to step up its military presence in eastern Europe amid the worst standoff between Russia and the West since the Cold War, caused by the conflict in Ukraine. (AFP)