Secretary General of the military alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, said “NATO is not seeking a war with Russia.”
Russia has massed a convoy of armoured vehicles, tanks and other military equipment that stretches about 40 miles (64 km), U.S. satellite company Maxar said.
It is the first time that the NATO Response Force, made up of 40,000 troops, has been activated for collective defence.
Moscow is planning a military manoeuvre in Belarus mid-February and says fewer than 13,000 Russian soldiers would be involved.
The Western defence alliance has agreed to send additional evacuation planes to Kabul.
