MADRID, June 30. /TASS/. NATO is not a direct participant in the conflict in Ukraine and aims to prevent a direct clash with Russia, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday at a press conference following the alliance's summit.

"If this becomes a full-scale war between Russia and NATO, then we’ll see suffering, damage, death, and destruction at a scale which is much, much worse than what we see in Ukraine today," he said.

He also pointed out that NATO has two tasks: to support Ukraine and to prevent the conflict’s escalation beyond Ukraine. "That is the reason why NATO is not part of the conflict on the ground," he stressed.