ISTANBUL

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg voiced support Wednesday for Ukraine in a telephone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“Spoke to President @ZelenskyyUa to express #NATO’s strong support to #Ukraine in face of #Russia threat. Allies call on Russia to de-escalate immediately," Stoltenberg wrote on Twitter. "We’re ready to engage in further dialogue w/Russia but won’t compromise on key principles.”

Spoke to President @ZelenskyyUa to express #NATO’s strong support to #Ukraine in face of #Russia threat. Allies call on Russia to de-escalate immediately. We’re ready to engage in further dialogue w/Russia but won’t compromise on key principles.

— Jens Stoltenberg (@jensstoltenberg) January 19, 2022

Russia has recently amassed tens of thousands of troops near Ukraine’s eastern border, prompting fears that the Kremlin could be planning another military offensive against its former Soviet neighbor.

Moscow has denied it is preparing to invade and said its troops are there for exercises.