Ukraine Stoltenberg The war did not start in February since

Ukraine, Stoltenberg: “The war did not start in February, since 2014 NATO has been supporting Kiev with …

Ukraine Stoltenberg The war did not start in February since

“There War it didn’t start in february last year but since 2014. And since 2014, NATO allies have been supporting Ukraine with training and equipment. So the Ukrainian military was stronger in 2022 than it was in 2014, and that made a big difference when Putin attacked.” So the NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenbergspoke before the two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers.

When asked why people should not believe that NATO is at war with Russia given the large amount of weapons NATO has decided to procure for Kiev, Stoltenberg assured: “What we are doing is support Ukraine. Ukraine is defending itself and we must understand that this is a war of aggression. President Putin and Russia attacked a sovereign and democratic state and Ukraine obviously has the right to defend itself.”

A right, he explained, that is “part of international law.” “NATO and NATO allies are not part of the conflict, but we support Ukraine in its right to self-defense – he noted again – Obviously that kind of help that we gave to Ukraine itself is developedhow the war developed”. From tanks to advanced artillery systems, Stoltenberg underlined what was needed now, namely “heavy weapons”. “The nature of the aid has evolved – he further explained – and this is part of the consultations we are holding between NATO allies and the Ukrainian Assistance Group. And we will continue because we have to make sure that Ukraine has the weapons that it needs so that it can retake and liberate territories and win this war.”

Stoltenberg then proceeded with two reflections, one about exactly when the war began and another about the importance of always having efficient systems. “It is extremely important to ensure that all systems and all delivered products work as they should – he explained. So this means that if we are consuming artillery, for example, we will need ammunition and spare parts and all the logistics that will allow us to help these weapons systems, so it’s not just about securing new systems, but also making sure that existing systems work as they should.”