The prime minister told Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoana and Admiral Rob Bauer, chairman of the NATO Military Committee, that "a diplomatic solution must be sought and hoped for, while realizing however that only a strong and principled NATO response can prompt Russia to de-escalate the situation", her office said in a press release.
"We see an unprecedented military build-up on the borders of Ukraine and in Belarus. This is fundamentally changing the security situation in the region, which is why it is so important to strengthen NATO security measures in our region," it quoted Simonyte as saying.
Russia has amassed over 100,000 troops and military equipment along Ukraine's borders, and has deployed a large force to Belarus for drills. Western countries worry that Russia may be planning an invasion of Ukraine, something that Moscow denies.
The NATO officials visited Lithuania to mark the fifth anniversary of the deployment of the Alliance's multinational battalions in the Baltic states and Poland.