NATO condemns Moscow's decision to recognize the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" and "Luhansk People's Republic" and Russia's further invasion of Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

"We condemn Moscow's decision to recognise the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic. We also condemn the further Russian incursion into Ukraine. Moscow has now moved from covert attempts to destabilise Ukraine, to overt military action. This is a serious escalation by Russia. And a flagrant violation of international law," Stoltenberg said at a briefing on the results of an extraordinary emergency meeting of the NATO-Ukraine commission.