The potential victory of Putin would be not only a tragedy for Ukraine but also a threat to NATO countries, warned Alliance Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg in an interview with the German public broadcaster ARD.
“I always cautiously approach predictions about the real situation on the front lines because war is inherently unpredictable by its very nature. The only thing we know for certain is this: the more support we provide Ukraine, the sooner this war will come to an end,” Stoltenberg stated.
He also noted that Ukraine has made significant gains on the battlefield, although the front line has seen little movement in recent months.
“Ukrainians have managed to push the Russian Black Sea Fleet back into the eastern part of the Black Sea. Now they can keep the maritime route open for ships meant to transport grain from Ukraine across the Black Sea,” Stoltenberg noted.
The NATO Secretary-General added that military conflicts evolve in stages so that setbacks may follow successes, but this is not a reason to refrain from supporting Ukraine.
“We must also be prepared for bad news. The course of wars is not a steady but a volatile process. We must support Ukraine in both good times and bad. The current war is a war of attrition, a battle of efficiency, a battle of logistics,” Stoltenberg explained.
Moreover, the NATO Secretary-General reiterated the urgent need to increase the production of ammunition and armaments in European countries. He called for overcoming the challenge of fragmentation in the European defense industry. Despite the European Union’s ongoing struggle to fulfill its commitment of providing 1 million rounds of ammunition to Ukraine, only 30% of the promised supplies have been delivered to Kyiv.
Earlier, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba assured that NATO countries show no signs of fatigue in the face of Russia’s war against Ukraine. On the contrary, they are ready to strengthen support for Kyiv. Kuleba said that on 29 November, following a meeting with NATO counterparts in Brussels.
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