Brussels, Feb 23 (IANS): The Chief of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) has urged Russia to "choose the path of diplomacy" in the conflict with Ukraine.

"This is the most dangerous moment in European security for a generation," NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg said at the conclusion of an extraordinary meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission in Brussels on Tuesday.

"Europe and North America continue to stand strong together in NATO, committed to defend and protect each other," he added.

He said NATO put its Response Force on higher readiness several weeks ago and has 100 jets on high alert and 120 ships at sea, Xinhua news agency reported.

However, he stressed that it was not late to choose the path of diplomacy rather than attack as he called on Russia to engage in talks to find a political solution to the conflict.

He welcomed the economic sanctions announced by many NATO allies and the decision by the German government that it cannot certify the Nord Stream 2 pipeline.

Stoltenberg said the Russian forces continue to prepare for a potential attack on Ukraine after Moscow recognised two separatist regions as independent.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday signed two decrees recognising the "Lugansk People's Republic (LPR)" and the "Donetsk People's Republic (DPR)" as independent and sovereign states.

The European security crisis was caused by NATO's eastward expansion, which has led to the loss of mutual trust, Putin said on Monday.

He added that it was just for NATO to accept Ukraine as a member state and then build facilities on its territory, which would dramatically raise the level of military threats to Russia.