NATO extends solidarity with Ukraine; ‘will impose economic sanctions on Russia'

North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday condemned Russia's invasion of Ukraine and said that the intergovernmental military alliance stands in solidarity with Ukraine. He said NATO allies in coordination with European Union and other parting are imposing economic sanctions on Russia for their "reckless invasion of Ukraine."

In a news briefing, the NATO chief said, "NATO stands in solidarity with Ukraine. NATO allies are imposing severe costs on Russia for their reckless invasion of Ukraine. NATO allies in close coordination with EU and other partners all over the world are now imposing severe economic sanctions on Russia."

Several sanctions have been imposed against Russia for its offensive against Ukraine. US President Joe Biden imposed the first set of sanctions, attacking Putin's inner circle, family members and two banks that hold relevance to the Kremlin and the Russian military. Apart from this, sanctions have been imposed on individuals as Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Person List. Biden administration has also prohibited any kind of investment in the breakaway region recognised by Russia.

United Kingdom, European Union, Germany, Australia, Canada and Japan have also imposed sanctions on Russia.

Earlier in the day, the NATO chief convened an emergency meeting of NATO ambassadors to assess the attack on Ukraine, which borders several NATO members.

The emergency session came after Baltic nations and Poland, which border Russia triggered Article 4 of the alliance's founding treaty that allows members to hold consultations when they feel their territorial integrity is under threat.

Stoltenberg had condemned Russia's invasion. He said that despite reprised warnings and tireless efforts to engage in diplomacy, the Putin administration has chosen the path of aggression. 

The first step now could be to activate NATO Response Force (NRF), which can number up to 40,000 troops. A quickly deployable NRF land brigade of 5,000 troops run by France alongside Poland, Germany, Spain and Portugal is already on heightened alert.

Some NATO members have also sent troops, aircraft and warships to the Black Sea region, near allies Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey. The Pentagon has also put up to 8,500 US troops on heightened alert, so they will be prepared to deploy if needed to reassure other allies.

Russia invades Ukraine

In a televised address, Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia's decision to launch a military operation in Ukraine came in reaction to threats emanating from the neighbouring nation. He also warned other nations that if they attempted to interfere with the Russian military operation they would see "consequences they have never seen".

Following Putin's announcement, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said an "invasion" could be the beginning of a "big war" in Europe. 

Explosions have rocked several Ukrainian cities like the capital city Kyiv, surrounding cities like Mykolaiv, Odesa, Luhansk, Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia. Several Ukrainian service members are believed to have been killed in these explosions.