NATO defense ministers are meeting in Brussels today to discuss the ongoing war in Ukraine, writes CNBC.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, NATO Secretary-General said the military alliance would “of course address the brutal invasion of Ukraine by Russia”.

“This is devastating for the Ukrainian people, and it will also change our security environment. It will have long-lasting consequences for our security for all NATO allies”, - Jens Stoltenberg told reporters

He noted that hundreds of thousands of troops were already on “heightened alert”, with 100,000 U.S. troops in Europe and 40,000 troops under NATO command deployed to the alliance’s eastern flank.

“Of course, the United States [is] playing a key role in these efforts. More U.S. troops in Europe is a strong message of transatlantic unity, and we are extremely grateful for your support to what we do together in the eastern part of the alliance”, - Stoltenberg said.

At Wednesday’s meeting, ministers would address both the immediate consequences of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the longer-term consequences, Stoltenberg said, including the “long-term adaptation of our alliance” and how to “remove any room for misunderstanding and miscalculation in Moscow about our readiness to protect and defend all our allies.”

“NATO has a responsibility to ensure that this crisis does not escalate beyond Ukraine, and that’s also the reason we have increased our presence in the eastern part of the alliance”, - Stoltenberg said.