NATO allies will provide Ukraine with help that will allow it to win - Stoltenberg
At the NATO summit, the Allies agreed on a new package of assistance that would enable Ukraine to win the fight against Russian aggression, deter and provide reliable protection against such aggression in the future.
According to Censor.NET, citing Ukrinform, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this during a press conference.
"Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion, the Allies have provided Ukraine with unprecedented support, including tens of billions of euros in military aid. Ukraine has had a difficult winter and spring. Pauses and delays in military aid had severe consequences on the battlefield. Ukrainians have shown outstanding courage and resilience in holding the (defense) line. But we cannot and will not allow such a dire situation to happen again. At this summit, we have changed direction and laid the groundwork for Ukraine to win," the NATO Secretary General stressed.
He added that since Russia is shelling and bombing Ukraine from its territories, "the only way to hit military targets, missile launchers or airfields that are attacking Ukraine is to hit military targets on Russian territory".
"Allies have also agreed on a major financial commitment for Ukraine, with a minimum level of €40 billion over the next year. This will make our assistance to Ukraine more stable so that it can win. We will review this level of support at the next summit to make sure that our support continues to meet Ukraine's needs," said Stoltenberg.
He noted that the Europeans slightly exceeded the average level of US assistance to Ukraine, which is evidence of the burden sharing among the allies in providing military support. According to him, such joint efforts and the reliable and stable assistance that Ukraine will receive should provide it with the capacity to defend itself against Russian aggression now and to deter and defend itself against new attacks in the future.
In addition, as the Allies reminded, during the Summit, they made new announcements of immediate military assistance for Ukraine, including critical air defense equipment. More than twenty Allies have signed bilateral security agreements with Ukraine. The Alliance is taking concrete steps to deepen Ukraine's interoperability with NATO forces, to develop Ukraine's defense industry, and to cooperate on innovation.
The Alliance Secretary General noted that today "we have also sent a strong message of unity and determination to Moscow - that violence and intimidation will not work. "Ukraine can count on NATO now and for the long term," he added.
