Stoltenberg: Our responsibility is to ensure Ukraine provided with necessary weapons so Russia doesn't win this war
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is convinced that allies, including the United States, will continue to support Ukraine by providing the necessary weapons in order to achieve peace in the war waged against the country by Russia.
He said this in Brussels on Tuesday before the start of a two-day meeting of the foreign ministers of the alliance member countries, within which a meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council at the level of foreign ministers will also be held for the first time.
Asked whether Ukraine should think of a new strategy to win, Stoltenberg said NATO responsibility is to ensure that they give Ukraine the weapons it needs, because if President Putin wins, it will be a tragedy for the Ukrainians, but it will also be dangerous for all, because then the message to all authoritarian regimes, not only in Moscow but also in Beijing, will be that when they violate international law, when they invade another country, when they use force, they get what want. He said NATO allies are providing an unprecedented level of military support.
The NATO Secretary General also expressed confidence that the United States will continue to provide support because it is in its security interests.
Stoltenberg said NATO is providing assistance to Ukraine in terms of modernizing its Armed Forces to ensure their full compatibility with NATO forces. He also recalled the work of the contact group in Ramstein format, which includes fifty countries that also provide support, which is of great importance.
Answering a question about what Ukraine must do to win on the battlefield, the secretary general said he is very cautious about forecasting developments on the frontline, as wars are unpredictable by nature. At the same time, he noted that the courage and skill of the Ukrainian Armed Forces impressed the whole world. "We have to remember where this conflict started at the beginning of the war. We feared that Ukraine would collapse within weeks and that President Putin would control Kyiv within days. That didn't happen, the opposite happened. The Ukrainians were able to push Russian forces out to the north, in the east and in the south. They liberate 50% of the territory that Russia occupied at the beginning of the war with a full-fledged invasion."
In this regard, Stoltenberg called on allies to continue to support Ukraine. "So what we do know is that the more military support we provide to Ukraine, the stronger their position will be on the battlefield and the stronger their position will be on a potential negotiating table. We have to remember where this conflict started at the beginning of the war. Our responsibility is to put them in the strongest possible position. Therefore, I welcome the continued support from a NATO Allies," he said.