Brussels: The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Thursday criticized Russia's military offense inside Ukraine. The coalition termed the Russian attack "entirely unjustified and unprovoked", further noting that the offensive breached international pacts such as the UN Charter, Helsinki Final Act, Charter of Paris and Budapest Memorandum.
"We stand with the people of Ukraine and its legitimate, democratically elected president, parliament and government. We will always maintain our full support for the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders, including its territorial waters", the statement read, adding that it was calling on Russia to "immediately cease its military action and withdraw all its forces from in and around Ukraine".
In what appears to be a reference to Russian President Vladimir Putin, the statement also warned that "Russia’s leaders must bear full responsibility for the consequences of their actions", and that the country "will pay a very heavy economic and political price."
Significantly, NATO also said in its release that it was deploying "additional land and air forces" to the eastern part of the alliance in order to protect its territory.
"Russia’s actions pose a serious threat to Euro-Atlantic security, and they will have geostrategic consequences. NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to ensure the security and defence of all Allies. We are deploying additional defensive land and air forces to the eastern part of the Alliance, as well as additional maritime assets. We have increased the readiness of our forces to respond to all contingencies", it stated.
"NATO is the strongest alliance in history. And make no mistake, we will defend and protect every ally against any attack, and every inch of NATO territory. And that's the reason also we have increased our presence in the eastern part of the alliance with thousands of troops, ships and planes in the last few weeks.
This is to send the very clear message that an attack on one ally will trigger response from the whole alliance", NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg, on the other hand, said on Thursday, addressing a press conference.
