NATO intends to stop further escalation of the war in Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said, Reuters reported.

"NATO has a responsibility to prevent this conflict from escalating further. That would be even more dangerous and cause more suffering, deaths and destruction," Stoltenberg said at a joint press conference in Berlin with Chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Stoltenberg added that he welcomed Scholz's efforts to find a diplomatic solution to the war, including direct contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

"This is President Putin's war. He must stop the war, withdraw his forces and engage in diplomacy in good faith," Stoltenberg said.