Blinken: 'If conflict comes to us, we're ready for it'
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg met with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and other NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on Friday morning to discuss the response to the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.
During a press conference prior to the meeting at NATO headquarters, Blinken and Stoltenberg condemned Russia's attacks on civilians in Ukraine and expressed concern over the reports of Russian shelling at Ukraine's largest nuclear power plant.
![PHOTO: U.S. State Secretary Antony Blinken, left, and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg speak during a news conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, March 4, 2022.](https://s.abcnews.com/images/Politics/blinken-stoltenberg-nato-hq-gty-220_hpEmbed_20220304-062033_3x2_992.jpg)
"This just demonstrates the recklessness of this war and the importance of ending it, and the importance of Russia withdrawing all its troops and engage in good faith in diplomatic efforts," Stoltenberg told reporters. "We provide support to Ukraine. At the same time, NATO is not part of the conflict. NATO is a defensive alliance, we don't seek war conflict with Russia."
Blinken emphasized that NATO and the United States "seek no conflict."
"But if conflict comes to us, we're ready for it," he added. "And we will defend every inch of NATO territory."