Ukraine is a sovereign, independent nation that has the right to defend itself, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said.

"Ukraine is a sovereign, independent nation, and Ukraine has, of course, the right to defend itself. That is the right which is enshrined in the UN Charter. When Ukraine is threatened I think everyone understands that Ukraine is actually stepping up its efforts to be able to defend itself. And NATO allies provide support to Ukraine to enable Ukraine to uphold the right to defend itself," Stoltenberg said in a press conference following the extraordinary meeting of NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs held in Brussels on Friday.

He said that "Ukraine is not a NATO ally, but Ukraine is a close and highly valued partner which is threatened by Russia." Stoltenberg added that the Russian Federation has occupied part of the Ukrainian territory and continues to destabilize Donbas.

"Therefore, one of the messages in the meeting today was the need to provide support to Ukraine in different ways," Stoltenberg said.