NATO warns Russia to avoid mistakes in Ukraine

NATO foreign ministers warned Russia on Tuesday that any effort to destabilize Ukraine would be a costly mistake.

Western leaders worry that the Kremlin is planning an incursion into Ukraine, as Russia builds up its military along the border with Ukraine. More than 90,000 Russian troops have been stationed in the region, according to Ukraine.

"We see heavy armor, drones, electronic warfare systems, and tens of thousands of combat-ready troops," said NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.

Last Friday, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he had uncovered plans for a Russia-backed coup d’état. On Tuesday, Ukraine’s prime minister said there was no doubt that Russia was attempting to organize a coup.

NATO will “send an unmistakable message to the Russian government: NATO’s support for Ukraine is unbroken and its independence, territorial integrity, and sovereignty are not up for discussion,” said German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas.

“Russia would have to pay a high price for any form of aggression,” added Maas.

British Foreign Secretary Liz Truss reinforced NATO’s support for Ukraine and warned that Russia’s incursion into Ukraine would be “a strategic mistake.”  

“We have seen this playbook from the Kremlin before when Russia falsely claimed its illegal annexation of Crimea was a response to NATO aggression,” Truss said in a statement. “NATO is an alliance forged on the principle of defense, not provocation. Any suggestion that NATO is provoking the Russians is clearly false.”

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov accused NATO of causing instability in the region.

“Significant units and military equipment of NATO countries, including the U.S. and Britain, are being deployed closer to our borders,” said Lavrov at a press conference.

Russian President Vladimir Putin said that Russia would be forced to act if NATO places missiles in Ukraine.

"If some kind of strike systems appear on the territory of Ukraine, the flight time to Moscow will be 7-10 minutes, and five minutes in the case of a hypersonic weapon being deployed. Just imagine," said Putin. "What are we to do in such a scenario? We will have to then create something similar in relation to those who threaten us in that way. And we can do that now."

NATO leaders gathered on Tuesday in Latvia to discuss Russia’s aggression. During the meeting, foreign ministers will discuss emerging hybrid warfare and will seek ways to combat these threats.

Since Ukraine is not a member country, it cannot benefit from the security guaranteed to NATO members, said Stoltenberg. However, “we have different options, and we have demonstrated over the years in reaction to Russia’s previous use of military force against Ukraine that we can sustain heavy economic and financial sanctions, political sanctions,” he said.