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Russia shows no signs of being ready to make peace, said Admiral Rob Bauer, Chairman of the NATO Military Committee, during a press conference in Brussels on January 16. According to him, Putin has shifted the Russian economy to a military orientation and is deepening cooperation with China, Iran and North Korea, which requires a consolidated response from NATO.
“Russia’s war against Ukraine has global implications. The Alliance must strengthen military cooperation and knowledge sharing with partners, as well as increase support for Ukraine,” the admiral said.
The meeting of the NATO Military Committee on January 15-16 was held for the first time with the participation of the Chiefs of Defence of 26 NATO and EU partner countries, including Armenia, Austria, Japan, Israel, Georgia, Qatar and Ukraine.
The Allied generals held a lengthy conversation with their Ukrainian counterpart, General Oleksandr Syrskyi. NATO reaffirmed its readiness to provide security assistance, training and other resources to Ukraine in the years ahead, emphasizing the importance of defending the rules-based international order.
At a previous meeting of the NATO Military Committee, Rob Bauer called on member states to increase defense spending to 3% of GDP.
Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga emphasized that Ukraine will not refuse to join NATO and is not considering alternatives to membership. He also reiterated Kyiv’s principled position not to negotiate directly with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin.
