NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says Russia is taking military action against Ukraine and has condemned Moscow’s decision to recognise separatist areas of southeast Ukraine as independent.
On Wednesday Stoltenberg called the move a “serious escalation by Russia and a flagrant violation of international law.”
The NATO chief called the military action a “further invasion" of Ukraine by Russia which had already invaded its neighbour in 2014.
He added that there’s “every indication” Russia continues to plan for a full-scale attack on Ukraine.
Stoltenberg said that NATO allies have more than 100 warplanes on high alert and more than 120 warships ready at sea from the Arctic Circle to the Mediterranean Sea.
He said that the NATO response force remains on high readiness but is not yet being deployed, although some allies are moving troops, ships and planes into the Baltic states and near the Black Sea to defend other NATO members.
Russian lawmakers have given President Vladimir Putin permission to use military force outside the country.
The unanimous vote in Russia's upper house on Tuesday (local time) could presage a broader attack on Ukraine after the US said an invasion was already underway there.
The vote formalises a Russian military deployment to the rebel regions, where an eight-year conflict has killed nearly 14,000 people.
Several European leaders said earlier in the day that Russian troops have moved into rebel-held areas in eastern Ukraine after Putin recognised their independence.
But it was unclear how large the movements were. Ukraine and its Western allies have long said Russian troops are fighting in the region. Moscow denies those allegations.
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