Vitaly Sayenko13:44, 03.12.24

The Secretary General of the Alliance emphasizes that it is necessary to continue to support Ukraine with weapons right now.

Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is not interested in peace and wants to seize more territory in Ukraine.

According to the correspondent of UNIAN, the Secretary General of the Alliance, Mark Rutte, said this at a briefing before the beginning of the two-day meeting, the head of foreign affairs of the NATO member countries in Brussels.

In particular, the Secretary General of the Alliance said that today there will be a working dinner at the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Council with the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Andrii Sybiga and the High Representative of the European Union Kaya Kallas.

Rutte said that NATO and the EU should work closely to support Ukraine.

“Ukraine is entering another decisive winter. And Russia’s aggression shows no sign of abating. Just the opposite, Putin is intensifying his rhetoric and reckless actions. He is using Ukraine as a test site for experimental missiles and deploying soldiers from North Korea in this illegal war. Putin not interested in peace. He’s pushing, trying to grab more territory, because he thinks he can break Ukraine’s resolve and ours, but he is wrong. Ukraine has the right to defend itself, and we have a duty to help it,” Rütte emphasized.

In this connection, as Rütte emphasized, it is necessary to continue providing firm support to Ukraine.

Rutte recalled that in Washington, the allies agreed to take a financial commitment to provide security assistance to Ukraine in the amount of 40 billion euros. “And we remain committed to that commitment,” Rutte said.

He welcomed the recent announcements by the US, Germany, Sweden, Estonia, Lithuania, and Norway of new military aid. “This is good news,” Rutte added.

In addition, a new NATO command is being launched in Wiesbaden, Germany, to coordinate the provision of security assistance and training for Ukraine.

“This makes our support stronger and also more sustainable. But we all have to do more, especially now. The stronger our military support for Ukraine is now, the stronger their hand will be at the negotiating table. And the sooner we can put an end to Russian aggression in Ukraine once and for all,” Rütte emphasized.

Separately, he said that Ukraine is facing a very difficult winter, because Russian attacks on Ukrainian energy infrastructure continue.

The Secretary General believes that it is correct that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, appeals to NATO allies and other countries, in particular Australia, regarding the need for additional military assistance so that Ukraine can carry out offensive attacks on the battlefield, as well as defend itself against air attacks. It is important to protect the energy infrastructure as best as possible.

Rütte said that for now, the main focus should be on strengthening Ukraine at this very moment, as the Russians are slowly advancing further west on the eastern front, albeit with high casualties. “So, we must ensure that Ukraine has taken a position of strength,” Rutte said and added that it is the Ukrainian government that should decide when to start negotiations with Russia in the future.

(C)UNIAN 2024