BRUSSELS, Jan 24, 2022 (BSS/AFP) - NATO allies have put forces on standby 
and sent ships and fighter jets to bolster Europe's eastern defences as 
tensions soar over Russia's military buildup around Ukraine, the alliance 
said Monday.

  "NATO will continue to take all necessary measures to protect and defend 
all Allies, including by reinforcing the eastern part of the Alliance. We 
will always respond to any deterioration of our security environment," NATO 
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a statement.

  The Western alliance pointed to decisions in recent days by Denmark to send 
a frigate and warplanes to the Baltic states, Spain bolstering naval 
deployments and the Netherlands putting a "ship and land-based units on 
standby" for its rapid response force.

  The statement also highlighted a recent offer from France to send troops to 
Bulgaria and said "the United States has also made clear that it is 
considering increasing its military presence".

  Tensions are mounting as the West accuses Moscow of threatening to invade 
Ukraine by massing over 100,000 troops on its border. Russia denies it is 
planning an incursion.

  NATO's eastern members have been calling for reinforcements.

  Latvia's foreign minister Edgar Rinkevics tweeted: "We are reaching the 
point where continuous Russian and Belarusian military buildup in Europe 
needs to be addressed by appropriate NATO countermeasures.

  "It is time to increase allied forces presence in the alliance's Eastern 
flank both as measures of defence and deterrence."

  The alliance is preparing a proposal for further talks with Russia after 
the Kremlin issued a raft of demands that would see NATO stop Ukraine joining 
and roll back its forces in eastern Europe.

  NATO insists it will not negotiate over its "core principles" including 
defending all allies and allowing partners to chose their own path.

  The alliance bolstered its forces in the Baltic states after Russia's 2014 
seizure of Crimea from Kyiv and is currently weighing plans to deploy more 
troops to Romania and Bulgaria.