NATO activates defensive plan, refuses to send forces to Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the alliance had no intention to deploy its forces in Ukraine.

Stoltenberg has thus confirmed NATO's refusal to send alliance troops to the territory of the country. There are no NATO forces on the territory of Ukraine, Stoltenberg added.

"We support Ukraine, but we provide firm security guarantees only to NATO allies,” he said.

On February 24, Russia launched a special military operation. President Vladimir Putin noted that it was launched in response to requests for military assistance from the leaders of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics (DPR and LPR).

NATO member countries will gather for a summit on February 25 to discuss what the crisis in Ukraine means for long-term relations with Russia, Jens Stoltenberg said.

According to Stoltenberg, Moscow has closed the door to a political solution to the Ukrainian crisis.

Earlier, NATO found Russia's actions to be a threat to Euro-Atlantic security and stressed that Russia's actions in Ukraine would have geostrategic consequences. Following the meeting of NATO permanent representatives in Brussels, NATO officials said that the alliance was ready to take "preventive and proportionate" measures to strengthen defense due to the Russia-led military operation in the Donbass.

Earlier it became known that against the backdrop of Russia's special operation in the Donbass, NATO started deploying additional defensive ground and air forces in the eastern part of the alliance.

NATO ready to defend alliance members

According to NATO officials, the alliance has increased the readiness of its forces to respond to all contingencies.

NATO permanent representatives decided to implement a defensive plan to deploy reaction forces in the countries of the alliance to protect allies, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

"We have discussed the current situation. Having received recommendations from military advisers, our permanent representatives agreed to activate our defensive plan, which provides for the deployment of forces in the countries of the alliance, including response forces, during a crisis,” he said.

"There are no NATO forces on the territory of Ukraine, and there are no plans to send them there either. We support Ukraine, but we provide firm security guarantees only to NATO allies. What we are doing is defensive," NATO Secretary General said.