UPDATE - In wake of Russian attack, NATO leaders set to hold emergency conference on Ukraine

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) – Condemning Russia's military intervention in Ukraine, the head of NATO on Thursday called for an emergency virtual meeting of the alliance’s leaders.

On Friday NATO leaders will discuss its response to the "full-scale military invasion against Ukraine," said Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

In a show of unity, the leaders of Sweden and Finland as well as the presidents of the European Council and the European Commission will also take part in the meeting, he added.

NATO decided to activate NATO’s "defense plans and request our top military commander Gen. Todd Walters," which will enable it to deploy capabilities and forces more easily, Stoltenberg announced.

“We will protect our people and our values. Democracy will always prevail over autocracy, freedom will always prevail over aggression,” Stoltenberg asserted.

NATO has beefed up its military presence on the alliance’s eastern flank with several thousand troops, and there are over 100 military jets on high alert protecting NATO airspace, as well as 120 warships from the North Sea to the Mediterranean, he said.

At the same time, he made clear that NATO has no troops in Ukraine and moreover has no plans to deploy forces there.

Ukraine is not a member of the bloc, so an attack on it does not trigger NATO’s collective defense pledge.

- ‘Invasion was long planned’

Stoltenberg called Russia’s actions a "brutal act of war," saying that Moscow has been "cold-bloodedly" planning the invasion for a long time in order to "rewrite history."

“Russia's leaders bear full responsibility for their reckless actions, on the lives lost,” he stressed, reiterating NATO’s call for Russia to immediately halt its attack and withdraw forces from Ukraine.

Stoltenberg also acknowledged that NATO has been aware of Russia’s plans and shared their information to reduce the risk of a military conflict.

He also said that despite Russia’s repeated denials that it was planning an attack on its neighbor, “they were serious about invading Ukraine all the time” and never meant to engage in real diplomatic talks.

Stoltenberg called on Russia to "immediately cease its military action, withdraw its forces from Ukraine and choose diplomacy."

Russia on Thursday launched a military intervention in Ukraine, targeting key areas of cities with weapons and missiles, according to reports, just days after recognizing two Russian separatist-held enclaves in eastern Ukraine.

The attack was preceded by a months-long buildup of some 100,000 Russian troops on Ukraine's borders, deployed there for "exercises," according to repeated statements by Moscow.