After a virtual meeting with US President Biden and key allies, North Atlantic Treaty Organization Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said “the risk of conflict in Europe is real”. in a statement.
“Participants made clear that any Russian aggression against Ukraine would be costly, and reiterated their readiness to continue dialogue with Russia,” the NATO statement said.
Biden held a call on the situation between Russia and Ukraine on Friday morning with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, NATO and EU leaders.
In statement by the European Commission, the group stressed their support for Ukraine and the final adoption of a 1.2 billion euro emergency financial support package. The head of the European Union Ursula Von der Leyen indicated that sanctions against Russia would affect the financial and energy sectors, as well as the export of high-tech products, according to the statement.
Von der Leyen also stressed “the need to continue to combat Russian disinformation through effective strategic communication efforts.”
According to a NATO statement, Stoltenberg invited Russia and all other members of the Russia-NATO Council to follow-up meetings to discuss European security.
The conference comes as many embassies worldwide, including those of Japan, Norway, South Korea, Latvia and the United Kingdom, advise their citizens to evacuate Ukraine.
