The Secretary General of NATO asked this Tuesday that the allies maintain military support for kyiv so that it is possible to reach a negotiated solution to the war in Ukraine.
“If we want a negotiated solution, the way to get there is through military support for Ukraine,” said Jens Stoltenberg upon his arrival at the meeting of European Union (EU) defense ministers in Brussels.
Stoltenberg will speak at the meeting about protecting critical infrastructure.
Ukraine has relied on the support of its Western allies for weapons to combat Russian troops since it was invaded by Moscow on February 24, 2022.
The outbreak of war between Israel and the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas diverted attention to the Middle East and raised fears of fading allied support for Ukraine.
Stoltenberg stated that no one can say how and when the conflict in Ukraine will end, but he considered that the probability of an “acceptable negotiated outcome” increases the greater the military support for kyiv.
The Norwegian politician stated that the only way to reach an acceptable solution for Ukraine is to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin that he will not win on the battlefield.
“And the only way to do it is to strengthen Ukraine’s military capacity, providing it with support,” he stated, quoted by the Spanish agency EFE.
The head of NATO (an acronym in English for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization) stressed that it is up to kyiv to decide the acceptable conditions for negotiating with Russia and what are the acceptable conditions for any agreement.
But he considered that responsibility towards Ukraine is also in the interest of Western allies.
“Let’s show that we support the rule of law, international law and that we help Ukraine fight a war of aggression,” he said.
Stoltenberg said intense fighting in Ukraine continues and the situation on the battlefield is difficult, making it even more important to maintain and increase support for Ukraine.
“We cannot allow President Putin to win. Ukraine must prevail as a sovereign and independent nation in Europe. It is in our interest to support Ukraine,” he explained.
Regarding the production of ammunition needed for allies and for donations to Ukraine, he stated that NATO countries are increasing production and that the Alliance is working with the defense industry.
He said the October incident, in which an undersea gas pipeline between Finland and Estonia and internet cables were damaged, serves as a warning about “the vulnerability and importance of this type of infrastructure.”
He said NATO has strengthened naval patrols, naval patrol aircraft and drones to “increase allied presence in the Baltic and North Seas.”
“We are also in the process of creating a new center within our maritime command in the United Kingdom to better coordinate allied efforts to work with partners, with the European Union, but also with the private sector,” he said.
The goal is to “better share information and increase what we do to protect critical underwater infrastructure,” he added.
Source: TSF
