NATO is bolstering its military and dispatching more ships and fighter jets to Eastern Europe. The decision to send more troops and military equipment comes amid weeks of escalating tensions, as Russia continues to build up its troops near the Ukrainian border.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the alliance is prepared to take all necessary measures to protect its allies. Stoltenberg added that strengthening NATO’s defenses in Eastern Europe is part of its response to the deteriorating security in the region.

Russia continues to deny that it is planning to invade Ukraine, even as it amasses its troops on its border. Officials argued that it is building up its forces in response to the NATO build-up, which they say is threatening Russia’s western flank.

Latvia’s Foreign Affairs Minister Edgars Rinkēvič previously called on NATO to send support following reports that Russian and Belarusian military forces are building up near its borders. He said that NATO needs to implement “appropriate countermeasures” against the build-up.

U.S. President Joe Biden addressed options for increasing U.S. force levels in the Baltic and Eastern Europe with his top military leaders during a meeting at Camp David on Saturday. The U.S. State Department said on Sunday that, out of an abundance of caution, it would cut staff levels at the U.S. Embassy in Kyiv, Ukraine, commencing with the departure of non-essential staff and family members.

E.U.’s chief diplomat, Josep Borrell, said that the bloc has not yet made any decision to evacuate its diplomatic staff and their families from Ukraine. He added that they don’t have enough information yet to warrant such as decision. In response to the rising Russian threat, the U.K. Foreign Office stated Monday that some British Embassy workers and dependents would be withdrawn from Kyiv.