Putin's war is triggering a NATO 'reset' that will bolster its forces in Eastern Europe

• NATO members said on Wednesday they would continue to help Ukraine fight against Russia and increase their own presence in Eastern Europe.
• "We face a new reality for our security, so we must reset our collective defense & deterrence for the longer term," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said.

NATO members said on Wednesday they would continue to help Ukraine fight against Russia as the alliance's leader said Russia's war is compelling them to increase their forces in Eastern Europe as they adapt to the "new reality."

"We face a new reality for our security, so we must reset our collective defense & deterrence for the longer term," NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said. "Today we have tasked our military commanders to develop options across all domains — land, air, sea, cyber and space."

NATO allies have expressed unanimous support for Ukraine — a country not in NATO that has partnered with many of the alliance members including the US — sending more than 20,000 anti-tank and other weapons, diplomats and military experts estimate, Reuters reported. The allies stated they will not send troops into Ukraine, fearful of escalating the conflict against a nuclear-armed Russia.

Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has railed against NATO and vowed Ukraine must never join it, now faces the prospect of facing a much more robust and ready NATO force nearer to his country's borders as his military struggles in Ukraine.

U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin reiterated NATO's support of Ukraine during an emergency meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.

"We remain united in our support of Ukraine," he said. "We support their ability to defend themselves and will continue to support them."

Stoltenberg said the alliance will bolster its forces to deter Russia and defend its allies that border Russia, including the Baltic states. Should Ukraine collapse, as appears possible but not likely, Russia would share borders with the four NATO allies to the country's west and south.

"We have a responsibility to ensure that this conflict, this war doesn't escalate beyond Ukraine," Stoltenberg told reporters, according to Voice of America's Jeff Seldin. "We see human suffering in Ukraine but this could become even worse if NATO took actions that actually turned this into a full-fledged war between NATO and Russia."