NATO says Russia faces choice: diplomatic solution or sanctions

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg meet at NATO headquarters, in Brussels, Belgium February 10, 2022. REUTERS/Yves Herman

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Russia must choose between a diplomatic solution to the crisis over Ukraine or face economic sanctions from the West and an increased military presence of NATO forces in the alliance's eastern countries, NATO's secretary general said on Thursday.

"Russia has a choice: they can either choose a diplomatic solution - and we're ready to sit down - but if they choose confrontation, they will pay a higher price," Jens Stoltenberg said.

"There will be economic sanctions. There will be an increased NATO military presence in the eastern part of the alliance, and the U.K. is really an important part of that," he told a joint news conference with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson in Brussels.

(Reporting by Robin Emmott and John Chalmers)