NATO needs to keep up its weapons deliveries to Ukraine this year, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told German news agency dpa.
“It is in all our security interests that Ukraine prevails and the Russian president does not win,” Stoltenberg told dpa, adding that that he expects members of the alliance system to supply Ukraine with more weapons.
The NATO secretary-general said it was now even more important for Ukraine to receive enough ammunition for the systems it already had, adding that the ammunition and spare parts needs of Ukraine were currently “enormous.”
His statement follows Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s call last week for Western leaders to provide additional weapons and a wide range of air defense systems to defend against Russian attacks.
The United States also recently announced that it would provide Ukraine with nearly $2 billion in military aid, including the Patriot air defense system, which will protect against aircraft as well as cruise and ballistic missiles.
Stoltenberg emphasized that military aid to Ukraine is the fastest route to peace.
“We know that most wars end at the negotiating table — that will probably be true of this war — but we know that what Ukraine can achieve in those negotiations is inextricably linked to the military situation,” said Jens Stoltenberg, who added, according to Sky News, that “we need to speed up the delivery and that NATO allies are doing just that.”
NATO has a fundamental responsibility to provide the supplies and the weapons to ensure our own deterrence and defense, but also to continue to support Ukraine in the long term, Stoltenberg said. He added that although the Ukrainians have had the upper hand in recent weeks, there are signs that the Russians are preparing for a new offensive.
“Russia has shown no sign of giving up its overall objective of control over Ukraine,” he said.
Stoltenberg said there was no sign that Putin had changed his mind about war and that his goal was still the same as before. He concluded his statement by saying that while Ukrainian forces currently have good momentum, Russia has mobilized many more forces and many of them are still in training.
“All this indicates that they are ready to continue the war and potentially try to launch a new offensive,” the secretary general said.
