NATO foreign ministers will meet today and tomorrow in Brussels to mark the 75th anniversary of the military alliance and prepare for a summit in Washington this July.
On the eve of the important meeting, Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary General of NATO, emphasized that the Alliance must remain firm in its support for Ukraine, but also change the dynamics of support because, as he stated, Ukraine has urgent needs.
“NATO was founded on one solemn promise: an attack on one ally is an attack on all. From that foundation we have built the most powerful and successful alliance in history. And, over the past 75 years, NATO’s open doors have helped spread democracy and prosperity throughout of Europe,” said Stoltenberg.
The Secretary General then referred to the war in Ukraine, which has been going on for more than two years.
“In recent days, the Kremlin has launched new major attacks, hitting Ukrainian civilians and infrastructure. Russia continues to press along the front line. That’s why we must remain steadfast in our support for Ukraine. And I welcome that allies continue to make large deliveries of arms, ammunition and equipment.” said Stoltenberg and added:
“But Ukraine has urgent needs. Any delay in providing support is having consequences on the battlefield as we speak. Therefore, we must change the dynamics of our support. We must provide reliable and predictable security assistance to Ukraine in the long term.”
Stoltenberg announced that the ministers would discuss how NATO could assume greater responsibility for coordinating military equipment and training for Ukraine.
“We will also discuss a multi-year financial commitment to sustain our support. This ministerial meeting will set the stage for consensus on these issues as we prepare for the summit in Washington. NATO allies provide 99 percent of total military support to Ukraine. So if we do more under NATO “, our efforts would be more efficient and effective. Moscow needs to understand that they cannot achieve their goals on the battlefield and they cannot wait for us,” said NATO’s first man.
Stoltenberg also emphasized that Ukraine will become a member of NATO:
“It’s a question of when, not if”.
Stoltenberg also highlighted the fact that this year a record number of allies will fulfill NATO’s goal of allocating two percent of GDP to the alliance, and that he is looking forward to further progress, AA writes.
