NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has reaffirmed that the Alliance stands shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine, both now and in the future. According to him, NATO defense ministers will meet with their Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov at a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on Thursday evening to discuss the situation on the battlefield and Ukraine's most urgent needs, UNN reports with reference to the Alliance's press service.
Rutte said that active work is underway to establish a new NATO command in Wiesbaden to coordinate security assistance and training for Ukraine, and to fulfill the promised 40 billion euros in military aid to Ukraine.
He announced that "NATO Allies have provided €20.9 billion in military assistance to Ukraine during the first half of 2024, and Allies stand ready to fulfill their commitments by the end of the year," emphasizing that "the message is clear - NATO is standing by Ukraine and we will continue to do so."
Зеленський їде до Брюсселя представити План перемоги лідерам ЄС17.10.24, 09:22
The Defense Ministers' Meeting also provides an opportunity to exchange views on the current global security environment with NATO's Indo-Pacific partners, as well as the European Union. For the first time, the Defence Ministers of Australia, Japan, New Zealand and the Republic of Korea are joining the meeting of NATO Defence Ministers. "In this interconnected world, it is imperative that we face our security challenges together," the Secretary General concluded.
He also added that the allies need to "move further and faster to meet the growing threats we face," emphasizing that "this requires more troops, capabilities and investment to achieve the ambitious goals set out in our defense plans."