An Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) plane such as this will be deployed to Poland amid heightened tensions with Russia. Photo: AFP

Ukraine crisis: Latest news

Brussels: NATO says it will deploy AWACS reconnaissance aircraft to fly over Poland and Romania as part of alliance efforts to monitor the crisis in Ukraine.

The flights "will enhance the Alliance's situational awareness," a NATO official said on Monday.

They added that "all AWACS reconnaissance flights will take place solely over Alliance territory."

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"This decision is an appropriate and responsible action in line with NATO's decision to intensify our ongoing assessment of the implications of this crisis for Alliance security," the official said.

The NATO announcement comes as Washington and Moscow traded barbs over rival proposals to ease the crisis, with each challenging the other to show they were really interested in a peaceful outcome.

The AWACS - Airborne Warning and Control System - will fly missions from their home airbase in Geilenkirchen, Germany, and from Waddington in Britain.

The AWACS aircraft are one of the most sophisticated command and control vehicles in the NATO armoury, capable of monitoring huge swathes of airspace.

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NATO to deploy recon flights over Poland