Freedom will always prevail over oppression: NATO stands in solidarity with Ukraine, condemns Russian invasion

Brussels, Feb 24: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday said that Democracy will always prevail over autocracy. Freedom will always prevail over oppression.

''NATO stands in solidarity with Ukraine. NATO allies are imposing severe costs on Russia for their reckless invasion of Ukraine. NATO allies in close coordination with EU & other partners all over the world are now imposing severe economic sanctions on Russia,'' NATO Secy-Gen said.

NATO's secretary-general says,''NATO allies have also, over a long period of time, provided practical support, military support to Ukraine & helped them to build a much stronger, better equipped & better-trained force today than Ukraine had in 2014.''

''So, we continue to stand together condemning the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Our allies also stand together in sending a message that we will never accept the brutal violation of international order,'' he futher sid.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine in the strongest terms.

Russia has launched war on Ukraine and shattered peace on the European continent. Jens Stoltenberg called for a summit of NATO alliance leaders for Friday. Stoltenberg said that "this is a deliberate, cold-blooded and long-planned invasion." And he charged that "Russia is using force to try to rewrite history."

''We call on Russia to immediately seize its military action & withdraw from Ukraine. We've over 100 jets at high alert protecting our airspace & more than 120 allied ships at sea from north to the Mediterrarean. We will do whatever is necessary to shield the alliance from aggression. NATO leaders to meet tomorrow to address the way forward,'' he said , adding that it calls on Russia to immediately seize its military action & withdraw from Ukraine.

Earlier, in the day, NATO agreed at emergency talks to further beef up its land, sea and air forces on its eastern flank near Ukraine and Russia after President Vladimir Putin ordered a military offensive in Ukraine.

"We are deploying additional defensive land and air forces to the eastern part of the alliance, as well as additional maritime assets," NATO ambassadors said in a statement.

"We have increased the readiness of our forces to respond to all contingencies." Countries closest to the conflict - Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Poland - requested rare consultations under Article 4 of NATO's founding treaty, which can be launched when "the territorial integrity, political independence or security of any of the (NATO) parties is threatened."

"We have decided, in line with our defensive planning to protect all allies, to take additional steps to further strengthen deterrence and defense across the Alliance," the envoys said.

"Our measures are and remain preventive, proportionate and non-escalatory." While some of NATO's 30 member countries are supplying arms, ammunition and other equipment to Ukraine, NATO as an organization isn't. It won't launch any military action in support of Ukraine, which is a close partner but has no prospect of joining.

Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, however, said in a joint-statement: "We would need to urgently provide Ukrainian people with weapons, ammunition and any other kind of military support to defend itself as well as economic, financial and political assistance and support, humanitarian aid."

"The most effective response to Russia's aggression is unity," Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas tweeted. "Russia's widespread aggression is a threat to the entire world and to all NATO countries." Kallas called for measures "for ensuring the defense of NATO Allies." NATO began beefing up its defences in northeastern Europe after Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in 2014. It has around 5,000 troops and equipment stationed there, but those forces have been beefed up with troops and equipment from several countries in recent months.

A first step now could be to activate the NATO Response Force, which can number up to 40,000 troops. A quickly deployable land brigade that is part of the NRF - made up of around 5,000 troops and run by France alongside Germany, Poland, Portugal and Spain - is already on heightened alert. Some NATO members have also sent troops, aircraft and warships to the Black Sea region, near allies Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey.

The Pentagon has also put up to 8,500 U.S. troops on heightened alert, so they will be prepared to deploy if needed to reassure other allies.