Ukraine crisis: Despite Russia's threats, NATO sees no need to change nuclear alert level

Lask air base (Poland), Mar 1: Despite Russia's threats, the chief of the NATO on Tuesday said that the alliance sees no need to change its nuclear weapons alert level.

Speaking with the Associated Press, the alliance's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, "We will always do what is needed to protect and defend our allies, but we don't think there is any need now to change the alert levels of NATO's nuclear forces," He made the statement after talks on European security with Polish President Andrzej Duda.

They met at an air base in Lask, central Poland, where NATO's Polish and US fighter jets are based.

The Kremlin has raised the spectre of nuclear war, reporting on Monday that its land, air and sea nuclear forces were on high alert following President Vladimir Putin's weekend order.

NATO itself has no nuclear weapons, but three of its members, the United States, Britain and France, do. Stoltenberg stressed that Russia has signed a number of agreements, agreeing that nuclear war cannot be won and should not be fought. The United States recently reinforced the eastern flank of NATO's territory with some 5,000 additional troops.

Meanwhile, Russian shelling pounded civilian targets in Ukraine's second-largest city again Tuesday and a 40-mile convoy of tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital - tactics Ukraine's embattled president said were designed to force him into concessions in Europe's largest ground war in generations. With the Kremlin increasingly isolated by tough economic sanctions that have tanked the ruble currency, Russian troops attempted to advance on Ukraine's two biggest cities. AFP