This was stated by Secretary General of the Alliance Jens Stoltenberg in an interview with the BBC.

It is noted that the situation on Ukraine's borders is a real danger, and NATO will continue to work on a political solution.

Stoltenberg called for a "balanced approach" to rising tensions around Ukraine, stressing that the Alliance has no plans to deploy troops in the country.

Read also: Stoltenberg warned Russia about the "consequences" of an attack on Ukraine

According to him, the Alliance is helping Ukraine resist Russian aggression by modernizing its defense systems, and NATO members are providing defense weapons, such as the transfer of the latest anti-tank missile systems by Britain.

"We are doing a lot to help Ukraine strengthen its defense capabilities. Only Ukraine is not a member of NATO, so 100% that the rule of collective defense in an attack on a member of the Alliance applies only to NATO member states, but not those who are close partners of the bloc", - Stoltenberg said.

He reiterated that NATO focuses on supporting Ukraine and assisting in the exercise of the right to self-defense. The Alliance is also sending signals to Russia that sanctions will be imposed on Moscow in the event of armed aggression against Ukraine.

What is known

• In early November 2021, the American media reported on the accumulation of Russian equipment on the border with Ukraine. Then the Ministry of Defense and the National Security and Defense Council denied this information. On November 21, the head of Ukrainian intelligence said that Russia had concentrated more than 92,000 troops near the border with Ukraine and was preparing for an attack by the end of January - beginning of February 2022.
• On January 26, the American side sent Russia a written response to its "proposals" for "security guarantees" in Europe. Russia's demands did not include NATO's eastward expansion and guarantees that Ukraine would not join the Alliance.
• On December 17, the Russian Foreign Ministry offered the United States draft security guarantees and security agreements with Russia and NATO member states, which would ban the former Soviet Union (and therefore Ukraine) from joining the alliance.
• In response, the United States and NATO was stated at the same time that they had received proposals from Russia, but that European security issues would not be discussed without the participation of allies in Europe. And the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine stressed that only the country and NATO decide how their relations will develop, in particular with regard to the enlargement of the Alliance.
• The OSCE believes that the risk of war in Europe is now much higher than ever in the last 30 years.

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