NATO leaders to hold emergency videoconference

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) – NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday called for an emergency virtual meeting of NATO leaders as he condemned Russia's military intervention in Ukraine.

The alliance leaders will discuss the military alliance’s response to the "full-scale military invasion against Ukraine," Stoltenberg said.

NATO decided to activate NATO’s "defense plans and request our top military commander Gen. Todd Walters," which will enable NATO to deploy capabilities and forces more easily, Stoltenberg announced.

He called Russian actions a "brutal act of war," pointing out that Russia has been "cold-bloodedly" planning the invasion for a long time to "rewrite history."

"Russia's leaders bear full responsibility for their reckless actions on the lives lost," he stressed.

Stoltenberg called on Russia to "immediately cease its military action, withdraw its forces from Ukraine and choose diplomacy."

Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a military intervention in Ukraine early Thursday, just days after recognizing two separatist-held enclaves in eastern Ukraine.

He said the action followed a request for help from authorities of Donetsk and Luhansk, claiming that Moscow had no plan to occupy the neighboring territory, but wanted to “demilitarize” and “denazify” Ukraine.