On the first day of the meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Bucharest, several countries announced more support measures for Ukraine, and the Secretary General again brought the country’s accession to the table. However, it is important for the head of Ukrainian diplomacy to make decisions as quickly as possible.
“Last time I was invited to the NATO ministerial meeting, I came up with three words, ‘arms, arms and arms’. And a lot has been done since then. Today I have other words, which are ‘faster, faster and faster”. ”, said Dmytro Kuleba. “If we have transformers and generators, we can restore our system, our power grid and provide people with decent living conditions. If we have air defense systems, we can protect this infrastructure from the next Russian missile strikes. In short. “Patriots and transformers is what Ukraine needs most,” he said of the US Patriot missile defense system.
At the press conference, the Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance acknowledged that this was one of the topics under discussion, but preferred to emphasize another aspect, which is that the systems Ukraine receives will remain functional and with ammunition. days ago, the New York Times reported that about a third of the 350 howitzers donated by Western countries are out of service, while maintenance and repair of artillery pieces are carried out in Poland.
“One of the huge challenges that we’re facing now, with regard to some of the advanced air defense systems like the NASAMS or the German IRIS-T, which are advanced air defense systems, is not just to deliver them, but to make sure that we supplied with the necessary ammunition and spare parts to ensure that these systems operate effectively,” said Jens Stoltenberg.
Germany responded to Ukraine’s call for infrastructure aid by sending 350 generators and a total of €56 million for the energy sector alone. The United States, for its part, has said it will help with $53 million worth of transformers and other equipment to restore the country’s energy system, which has been hit by Russian missiles in recent weeks.
As ministers continue today’s meeting and iron out disputes over military aid, particularly on anti-aircraft defenses, the secretary-general reiterated that NATO has an open-door policy, moving to Ukraine and Georgia in a moment. In March, President Volodymyr Zelensky said his country would not join the military alliance, in an apparent concession to Moscow. Now the theme is surfacing again, although no steps will be taken in that direction as long as the country is occupied and at war.
“We are discussing how to further strengthen our partnership with Ukraine and also help them on their path to membership,” Stoltenberg said. “We are discussing how to further strengthen the political partnership, other than membership, and there are several ways to do this, through more frequent meetings and more substantive discussions,” he concluded.
Source: DN
