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The leaders of the NATO countries returned to the issue of transferring fighter jets to Kyiv, and the provision of the Patriot system to Ukraine is also being discussed. This was discussed at a meeting of foreign ministers of the countries of the Alliance, reports FREEDOM.
As conceived by the Kremlin, the massive shelling of critical infrastructure by the Russian army should leave Ukrainians without heat and light, and deplete Ukraine’s will to win. Therefore, it is important for NATO allies to increase the supply of air defense systems to Kyiv. This is the main message from Bucharest, where the meeting of the foreign ministers of the North Atlantic Alliance is taking place. According to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, he will personally urge partners to increase the supply of necessary weapons and equipment to Ukraine
“President Putin is losing his brutal war of aggression. He responds with more ferocity. Indeed, we are all paying for Russia’s war against Ukraine. But the price we pay is money. And the Ukrainians are paying with blood. And if we allow Putin to win, we will all pay a much higher price for years to come. So our message from Bucharest is that NATO will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. We will not back down,” Stoltenberg said.
On the eve of the NATO meeting, the foreign ministers of Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Finland, Sweden, Norway and Iceland arrived in Kyiv. They met with Prime Minister of Ukraine Denys Shmygal, discussed the strengthening of anti-Russian sanctions, the reconstruction of energy infrastructure and the strengthening of military support.
“My message is short – Ukraine must win this war, and Russia must lose this war. And this means that NATO countries should strengthen their military support to Ukraine,” said Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Reinsalu.
“Ukraine must be able to protect civilian infrastructure, they need air defense systems, missile defense systems, everything we have, we must transfer to Ukraine,” said Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis.
The allies emphasize that the Alliance is not a participant in hostilities, but support for Ukraine is a matter of principle for NATO. After all, if you allow the aggressor to win the war, then you can forget about sustainable peace.
“We have seen how Vladimir Putin has been trying to weaponize energy from the very beginning of this conflict. And these strikes on civilian infrastructure, on energy infrastructure, are obviously designed to try to force the Ukrainians into submission. I don’t think it will work. In fact, I know it won’t work because the Ukrainians have shown tremendous resilience. And we will continue to support them during these difficult months,” said British Foreign Secretary James Cleverley.
In response to the call of the NATO Secretary General, several countries immediately announced the supply of weapons. Sweden has provided Ukraine with a record military aid package – air defense systems, ammunition and transport. Slovakia also sent 30 infantry fighting vehicles.
Allies call Russian missile strikes on critical infrastructure terror.
“Russian aggression continues and continues in the most monstrous way imaginable. Russia violated every principle of international law, every principle that we could imagine. We must support Ukraine morally, financially, militarily, so that it can fairly defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity,” said Slovak Foreign Minister Rastislav Kacher.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba arrived at a meeting with colleagues from NATO to talk not about what is needed, but about the timing of deliveries. The head of the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry says that now military assistance and support for the energy industry are equally important. The head of Ukrainian diplomacy came to negotiate the supply of Patriot air defense systems to protect Ukraine from Russian missiles.
“We don’t have a minute to lose. While someone is thinking about which generator or transformer to send and which way, people in Ukraine are freezing without electricity, without heating, without water as a result of missile strikes by the Russian Federation. Time for action, not talk. Of course, the supply of air defense systems to Ukraine is also an aid to our energy security. I have two key words for this meeting – Patriot and transformers,” Kuleba said.
Following the results of the first day of the meeting, the allies agreed to intensify the supply of weapons to Ukraine, in particular air defense systems. The alliance also wants to help Kyiv with the restoration of the destroyed infrastructure. And after winning the war against Russia, Ukraine will be able to join NATO, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. He expects allies to confirm the open door policy.
