In an interview with FRANCE 24, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that in reaction to Russia's invasion of Ukraine, NATO had "significantly increased" its forces in the east "to send a very clear message to Moscow that we are there to defend and protect all allies". Stoltenberg reaffirmed that NATO supported Ukraine's right to "self-defence", while stressing that "we are not part of the conflict by deploying NATO troops on the ground or NATO planes in the air". He added that Russia's warning to Finland and Sweden of "serious military consequences" if the two countries tried to join or draw closer to the Alliance, was "totally unacceptable".
