Munich Security Conference:NATO chief: All-out attack on Ukraine imminent

NATO expects a large-scale attack by the Russian army on Ukraine, Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, said Saturday.

He said all indications say that Russia is planning a large-scale attack on Ukraine.

He referred to continuing Russian military deployment around Ukraine.

Stoltenberg said Russia is, not withdrawing, but deploying new troops around Ukraine.

"There are also indications that Russia is preparing to create a pretext for an attack," the NATO Secretary-General said.

According to Western media, Russia has amassed more than 150,000 troops on the border with neighboring Ukraine.

However, the leadership in Moscow denies reports about plans for launching an attack.

Despite the threat of escalation, Stoltenberg remains committed to a political solution to the conflict.

"We want to make Russia change course and sit with us," he said.

Zelenskyy's request

When Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy called for more honesty about his country's membership in NATO, Stoltenberg said: "We are helping Ukraine strengthen its defense capabilities."

"We provide training, equipment, and assistance in creating Euro-Atlantic integration," the NATO Secretary-General said.

NATO membership is possible, but in the end the decision rests with 30 members.

"At the moment, it is not so much about Ukraine's membership in NATO as "whether we accept that a great power like Russia dictates to another country what it can and cannot do by force," he said.