NATO chief: We do not see any real signs of easing tensions around Ukraine

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed signals that Russia may be looking for a diplomatic solution amid a military build-up on Ukraine's border but urged Moscow to demonstrate its will to act, Report informs, citing Reuters.

"There are signs from Moscow that diplomacy should continue. This gives grounds for cautious optimism. But so far, we have not seen any sign of de-escalation on the ground from the Russian side", NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of a two-day meeting of the alliance's defense ministers in Brussels.

"Russia has amassed a fighting force in and around Ukraine unprecedented since the cold war. Everything is now in place for a new attack. But Russia still has time to step back from the brink, stop preparing for war and start working for a peaceful solution", Stoltenberg said, calling the current situation the "most serious security crisis we have faced in Europe for decades".