NATO has called on Russia to de-escalate the situation and reaffirm its support for Ukraine

#accelerate#Brussels#Russia 
Xinhua News Agency Brussels, December 16 (reporter Ren Ke) NATO secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday called on Russia to take steps to ease the situation in Ukraine and its surrounding region, and reiterated the alliance's support for Ukraine. Stoltenberg met with visiting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at NATO headquarters on the same day. At a later news conference, he said the two sides discussed Russia's military buildup in and around Ukraine and reaffirmed NATO's support for Ukraine, but said it was not a threat to Russia. Stoltenberg called on Russia to take actions to de-escalate the situation and respect Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. He also said NATO was preparing for dialogue with Russia and renewed an invitation to return to the NATO-Russia Council. Mr. Stoltenberg also said the decision on Ukraine's membership in NATO should be made only by Ukraine and all NATO members. The deterioration in Russian-Ukrainian relations has accelerated recently, with both sides deploying large numbers of military personnel and equipment along their border. The United States, Ukraine and NATO say Russia is massing troops near Ukraine's eastern border in what they call an "invasion." Russia denies this, saying NATO activities threaten its borders and that it has the right to deploy troops to defend its territory. Ukraine has been seeking NATO membership for years, but Russia has adamantly opposed it. Russian President Vladimir Putin said in a video interview with U.S. President Joe Biden on Tuesday that NATO's eastward expansion and the deployment of offensive weapons in Russia's neighboring countries violate Russia's "red line."