Russia's Putin made 'terrible strategic mistake': NATO leaders

BRUSSELS

Russian President Vladimir Putin's decision to attack Ukraine was "terrible strategic mistake," NATO leaders said on Friday, vowing to strengthen the alliance's eastern flank.

NATO condemned "in the strongest possible terms Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, enabled by Belarus," said a joint statement following an extraordinary meeting of NATO heads of state and government to discuss Moscow's military operation and the allies' response to it.

The leaders urged Russia to immediately halt the military intervention and withdraw forces from Ukraine.

"This long-planned attack on Ukraine, an independent, peaceful and democratic country, is brutal and wholly unprovoked and unjustified," they pointed out, underlining that the world would hold Russia and Belarus accountable for their actions.

"President Putin's decision to attack Ukraine is a terrible strategic mistake, for which Russia will pay a severe price, both economically and politically, for years to come," the NATO leaders said, promising "massive and unprecedented sanctions."

NATO expressed its full solidarity with Ukraine's president, parliament, and government, as well as with the "brave people" of the country.

It also reaffirmed its "unwavering support" for the independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders.

The leaders also stated that their commitment to NATO's common defense principle was "iron-clad."

They promised to "draw all necessary consequences for NATO's deterrence, defense posture" and to deploy "significant additional defensive" troops to the eastern part of the alliance.

On Thursday, NATO decided to activate its defense plans enabling it to deploy capabilities and forces more easily in NATO territory.

Russia's military intervention in Ukraine entered its second day on Friday, with the latest reports indicating that Russian troops were heading toward the capital Kyiv from several directions.

Putin had ordered the military intervention on Thursday, just days after recognizing two separatist-held enclaves in eastern Ukraine.

He claimed that Moscow had no plan to occupy the neighboring country, but wanted to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of trying to install a puppet government and said Ukrainians will defend their country against Russian aggression.

Tensions started escalating late last year when Ukraine, the US and its allies accused Russia of amassing nearly 150,000 troops on the border with Ukraine.

They claimed Russia was preparing to invade its western neighbor, allegations consistently rejected by Moscow.