NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaks to the media at Lask air base in Poland, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Their meeting took place as Russian shelling pounded civilian targets in Ukraine's second-largest city again Tuesday and a 40-mile convoy of tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital Kyiv. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
The Associated Press
LASK AIR BASE, Poland (AP) - NATO's chief says the alliance sees no need to change its nuclear weapons alert level, despite Russia's threats
The alliance's secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, spoke to The Associated Press following talks on European security with Polish President Andrzej Duda. They met at an air base in Lask, central Poland, where NATO's Polish and U.S. fighter jets are based.
'œWe will always do what is needed to protect and defend our allies, but we don't think there is any need now to change the alert levels of NATO's nuclear forces,'ť Stoltenberg said.
The Kremlin has raised the specter of nuclear war, reporting on Monday that its land, air and sea nuclear forces were on high alert following President Vladimir Putin's weekend order. NATO itself has no nuclear weapons, but three of its members, the United States, Britain and France, do.
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. AP's earlier story follows below.
LASK AIR BASE, Poland (AP) - NATO Secretary- General Jens Stoltenberg is meeting Polish President Andrzej Duda at the Lask Air Base in central Poland for talks on the eastern flank's security, as Russia wages war on Ukraine, just across Poland's eastern border.
Stoltenberg and Duda shook hands early Tuesday at the 32rd Tactical Air Base in Lask, where Polish and NATO fighter jets are based, including F-16s.
The United States recently reinforced the eastern flank of NATO's territory with some 5,000 additional troops.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, left, gestures as he meets with Polish President Andrzej Duda and members of the military in Lask, Poland, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Their meeting took place as Russian shelling pounded civilian targets in Ukraine's second-largest city again Tuesday and a 40-mile convoy of tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital Kyiv. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
The Associated Press
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, left, gestures as he meets with Polish President Andrzej Duda in Lask, Poland, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Their meeting took place as Russian shelling pounded civilian targets in nearby Ukraine's second-largest city again Tuesday and a 40-mile convoy of tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital Kyiv. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
The Associated Press
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, right, meets with Polish President Andrzej Duda and members of the military in Lask, Poland, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Their meeting took place as Russian shelling pounded civilian targets in Ukraine's second-largest city again Tuesday and a 40-mile convoy of tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital Kyiv. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
The Associated Press
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, second right, and Polish President Andrzej Duda address the media at Lask air base in Poland, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Their meeting took place as Russian shelling pounded civilian targets in Ukraine's second-largest city again Tuesday and a 40-mile convoy of tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital Kyiv. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
The Associated Press
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, right, and Polish President Andrzej Duda greet the media and members of the military at Lask air base in Poland, Tuesday, March 1, 2022. Their meeting took place as Russian shelling pounded civilian targets in Ukraine's second-largest city again Tuesday and a 40-mile convoy of tanks and other vehicles threatened the capital Kyiv. (AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski)
The Associated Press