NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he is absolutely sure that the message of NATO allies at the upcoming ministerial meeting and later at the Washington summit is that "we must stand by Ukraine" and that "it is in our security interests that President Putin does not win this war." The Secretary General said this at a press conference on Monday on the eve of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers on November 28-29 in Brussels, UNN reports.
Details
Answering the question whether he feels that NATO member states are ready to arm Ukraine with what it needs for the next counter-offensive next spring, and that Ukraine may need new types of weapons, as the weapons of the past that have been provided so far are simply not enough to really change the situation on the battlefield, Stoltenberg replied: "When I travel and meet with NATO Allies, I see an unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine with unprecedented levels of military support."
At the same time, he listed recent decisions by the Allies to support Ukraine, in particular, the announcement of 10 billion euros by Germany and the Netherlands, As well as the Air Defense Coalition, "which is not only looking at how we can support and provide ammunition and spare parts for existing air defense systems, but also how we can add more and more advanced air defense systems." And the provision of cruise missiles and "many other modern weapons." As well as the creation of a training center in Romania to train pilots for F-16s.
"So overall, I see a very strong commitment from NATO members to really provide military support and a wide range of weapons," Stoltenberg emphasized.
At the same time, he said, "even with such significant military support from NATO allies, [Ukraine] has not been able to move the front line over the past year." "And this just goes to show that we should never underestimate Russia. Their defense industry is on a war footing. They can replenish their forces with ammunition and new capabilities. They have received a significant amount of munitions from North Korea, and there is a willingness to sacrifice people in this operation, which also makes it difficult for Ukrainians to achieve territorial gains," Stoltenberg said.
But rest assured, I'm absolutely certain that the message of NATO Allies at this meeting, and when we gather later at the Washington Summit, is that we must stand with Ukraine. It is in our security interest that President Putin does not win this war,
To recap,
NATO will discuss Russia's actions and is going to agree on recommendations for reforms in Ukraine on its way to membership.