NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said today that all members of the military alliance have agreed to let Ukraine join NATO in a big push for Volodymyr Zelensky.
The NATO chief said that Ukraine should have “deterrence to prevent new attacks” from Russia once the war is over – joining NATO would give Kiev protection.
Stoltenberg said the NATO allies had agreed that Ukraine would eventually become a member of the alliance and that Zelensky had been invited to attend the next NATO summit in July.
But Stoltenberg, who met Zelensky in Kiev yesterday, added that the main focus now is to ensure the country’s victory against Russia.
Stoltenberg acknowledged the need to discuss “new platforms” of support with the battle now in its second year. He also stressed the need to ensure the continued functioning of weapons already supplied.
Pictured: NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg (left) shakes hands with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at the end of a joint press conference in Kiev, on April 20, 2023
Pictured: Ukrainian soldiers fire targets at the front line in the direction of the city of Oglidar, Donetsk, Ukraine as the Russo-Ukrainian War continues on April 18, 2023
“I think sometimes we underestimate all the logistics that have to be in place just to have operational combat tank capabilities, so maybe it’s also more boring but the logistics are very important,” said the NATO chief.
He added, “This is now a battle of attrition, and a battle of attrition that turns into a logistical war.”
US Defense Secretary Lloyd said on Friday that international support for Ukraine is “strong and correct,” as he opened a meeting in Germany with allies to discuss more support for Kiev.
On the eve of the talks, which brought together representatives from 50 countries, Zelensky urged Western allies to send more fighter jets and long-range missiles to help fend off Russian forces.
Zelensky had made his requests directly to Stoltenberg, who visited Kiev before heading to Ramstein Air Base for the meeting.
“Our support for the Freedom Forces in Ukraine is strong and valid,” said Austin, as he began the discussions, a year after he began coordinating defense leaders to coordinate aid to Ukraine.
“At today’s contact group meeting, we will focus on three main issues – air defence, ammunition and enablers,” Austin said, referring to logistical and other types of support.
Zelensky had requested NATO’s help to “overcome the reluctance” of some member states to provide long-range missiles, modern combat aircraft and armored vehicles.
Ukrainian soldiers fire targets on the front line in the direction of the city of Ogildar, Donetsk, Ukraine as the Russo-Ukrainian War continues on April 18, 2023
NATO members have sent some Soviet-era fighter jets to Ukraine, but no modern aircraft such as the US F-16 fighter have been pledged despite Ukraine’s requests.
Ukraine’s Western backers are also reluctant to send the long-range missiles because of concerns that Ukraine could use them to strike targets inside Russia.
Stoltenberg acknowledged the need to discuss “new platforms” of support with the battle now in its second year. He also stressed the need to ensure the continued functioning of weapons already supplied.
Earlier in the week, Ukraine said it had received from allies the first shipment of Patriot missiles, which are seen as one of the most advanced US air defense systems.
Germany also provided the Iris-T anti-aircraft missile system.
This kit was one of Kiev’s main demands of the Western Allies as it looked to defend itself from Russian missile attacks and roll back an invasion of Moscow.
During Stoltenberg’s visit to Kiev, the NATO chief was also pressed to allow Ukraine to join the alliance, but he stressed that this was not the immediate priority.
“All NATO allies agreed that Ukraine should become a member of NATO, but now the main focus is, of course, on how to ensure victory for Ukraine,” he said.
“Without an independent, sovereign Ukraine, it makes no sense to discuss membership,” he said.
The NATO chief also emphasized that the alliance was long-standing in its support for Ukraine, including “a multi-year program to help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era equipment (and) standards to NATO standards and principles”.
We need to make sure that Ukraine has the military power… that deterrence to prevent new attacks because you have to remember that the war didn’t start in February ‘last year but with the annexation of Crimea in 2014.’
More than a year after its invasion, Russia bombed Kiev with drones overnight in the first such attack in nearly a month, though city officials reported no casualties.
Moscow suffered a setback as one of its fighter jets lost ammunition over Belgorod near the Ukrainian border, after local authorities reported an explosion that injured two people and left a huge crater in the Russian city.
The Belgorod region has been bombed repeatedly since Russian President Vladimir Putin sent troops into Ukraine in February 2022.
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