Russia continuing military build-up around Ukraine, NATO chief says
Jens Stoltenberg said NATO had seen no evidence of a Russian withdrawal and warned the country faces a "high price" if it invades.
NATO's Secretary General says Russia is continuing its military build-up around Ukraine's borders.
Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance had not seen any evidence of a Russian withdrawal and warned the country would face a "high price" if it invades Ukraine.
Russia has said some of its troops stationed near Ukraine are returning to their bases and has repeatedly denied it is planning to invade.
Arriving at the meeting of the alliance's defence ministers in Brussels, Mr Stoltenberg said: "So far we have not seen any de-escalation on the ground – on the contrary, it appears that Russia continues the military build-up."
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The NATO Secretary General added that "we have not seen any withdrawal of Russian forces", and "that contradicts the message of diplomatic efforts" from Moscow.
"We will continue to convey a very clear message to Russia that we are ready to sit down and discuss with them but at the same time we are prepared for the worst," he continued.
"If Russia once again invades Ukraine, they will pay a high price."