Russia shows no signs of preparing for peace, they are preparing for long war: military aid to Ukraine should be immediately increased, - Stoltenberg
Following the Ramstein meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on allies and partners to urgently increase military assistance to Ukraine.
This is stated on site of NATO, reports Censor.NЕТ with reference to Ukrinform.
"Secretary General Stoltenberg noted that Russia shows no signs of preparing for peace, on the contrary, they (Russians - ed.) are preparing for a long war. At the same time, the Secretary General emphasized the urgent need to increase military assistance so that Ukraine can win and liberate the occupied territories," the statement said.
The Secretary General noted that, like most wars, this war is likely to end at the negotiating table, but what happens at such negotiations directly depends on what happens on the battlefield, so Ukraine should be provided with more weapons now.
Stoltenberg thanked U.S. Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin for U.S. leadership in providing very significant military assistance to Ukraine. He welcomed the recent announcements of such assistance by other NATO Allies and partners, including Germany, France, Canada, Denmark, the Netherlands and Sweden, who have expressed their intention to provide air defense systems, armored personnel carriers and other armored vehicles to Ukraine. He welcomed the willingness of the United Kingdom, France and Poland to provide Ukraine with main battle tanks as well as light tanks, and called on other allies and partners to follow their example.
The NATO Secretary General also called for continued supplies of ammunition to Ukraine and training for the Ukrainian military. In general, assessing the results of the meeting in Ramstein, he emphasized that the Contact Group had provided Ukraine with a "massive package of combat capabilities" necessary for Ukraine's ability to defend itself, and that consultations on this issue would continue.
At the same time, Stoltenberg also emphasized the importance of increasing the supply of non-lethal materials and military equipment to Ukraine, in particular, as part of a broad NATO assistance package that includes fuel, food, medical supplies and other materials needed in Ukraine.
He also noted that NATO allies need to increase the production of weapons and ammunition to quickly replenish defense stocks. In this regard, NATO maintains close contact with defense industry enterprises. Clarification of the defense order will be a key topic during the meeting of NATO Defense Ministers in February this year, he added.
It is also reported that in Ramstein, Stoltenberg met with Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov and the new German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius.
