The leaders of the NATO member states at an extraordinary summit to be held in Brussels on March 24 will reaffirm their support for Ukraine.

This was announced at a press conference in Brussels on Wednesday, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

"Tomorrow, NATO leaders will reaffirm our support to Ukraine. Ukraine has the right to self-defense under the UN Charter. And we are helping Ukrainians to uphold this fundamental right," the Secretary General said.

Stoltenberg believes that NATO leaders "will meet at a pivotal moment for our security." "And I look forward to welcoming President Zelensky who will address us during the meeting (via video link)," he said.

The Secretary General also said that "Putin must end this war, allow aid and safe passage for civilians, and engage in real diplomacy."

"President Putin's brutal invasion of Ukraine is causing death and destruction every day. Allies stand united. In support for the brave people of Ukraine and against the Kremlin's cruelty," Stoltenberg said.

In addition, he said that the summit will take further decisions to strengthen NATO's posture in all domains with major increases to forces in the eastern part of the Alliance on land, in the air and at sea.

"The first step is the deployment of four new NATO battlegroups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia. Along with our existing forces in the Baltic countries and Poland, this means that we will have eight multinational NATO battlegroups all along the eastern flank from the Baltic to the Black Sea. We face a new reality for our security. So we must reset our deterrence and defense for the longer-term," Stoltenberg said.