The Alliance Secretary General came to Kyiv with a simple message: NATO stands in Ukraine.
For the first time since the start of the war, and on an unannounced visit, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg is in Kyiv. The Secretary General visited Sofiyivska Square, met with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and paid tribute to the memory of the victims of the Russian invasion of Bucha. The visit was immediately called a farewell, as Stoltenberg will leave his post in July.
Membership prospects
“Ukraine’s rightful place is in NATO, and over time, our support will help to make it happen. We support you now and throughout the journey,” insisted the Secretary General of NATO during his visit to Ukraine.
“We stood with you after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, we stand with you in the valiant struggle against the Russian invaders and in defense of your country. And we will stand by you tomorrow, when you rebuild the country and will work for a better future for the Ukrainian people,” said Jens Stoltenberg.
According to him, the prospect of Ukraine’s membership in the Alliance will be the subject of discussion at the upcoming summit of the organization in Vilnius, but for now the main task is to ensure that Ukraine continues to exist as a sovereign democratic state , where NATO will assist Kiev as needed.
“This is a testament to NATO’s long-term commitment to Ukraine. The Alliance stands with you today, tomorrow and will remain as long as necessary,” Stoltenberg assured.
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Stoltenberg stressed that Russia’s aggression must be stopped.
The Secretary General of NATO also spoke in support of the peace formula initiated by President Volodymyr Zelensky and assured that the Alliance will continue to strengthen the Ukrainian army.
Stoltenberg arrived in Ukraine on the eve of the next meeting of Ukraine’s allies in the Ramstein format, scheduled for April 21.
Stoltenberg noted that the allies will announce new specific aid for Ukraine in addition to those already provided, and recalled that the Netherlands and Denmark have already announced 14 Leopard tanks, and the United States about one another aid package with shells for artillery and HIMARS.
“These are concrete announcements, and I expect more, because there is an urgent need to provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs. In addition, we need a discussion about different types of platforms .. . But in addition to discussions about whether new types of weapons should be involved, it is very important to ensure that all the systems that have already been transferred to Ukraine are working as they should. We are talking about the need for on ammunition – a large amount of ammunition, we need spare parts, maintenance, repairs . So yes, we should discuss if new platforms are needed, but and just make sure that all the platforms that involved is working properly is a big task, and it will also be discussed,” commented the Secretary General.
Definitions of visitation
A veteran of the Russian-Ukrainian war, major reserve Aleksey Getman believes that the arrival of the NATO leader on the eve of Ramstein means that “there are some questions that need to be discussed with our military-political leadership in a closed room so that there is no information leakage.”
At the same time, we should not forget that the Vilnius NATO Summit on July 11-12 will be the last for Stoltenberg in the status of Secretary General. He is finishing his second term in office. At that summit, most likely, a new general secretary will be formally elected. “And this is the so-called diplomatic, farewell, personal visit of Jens Stoltenberg in Kiev, to President Zelensky: to talk with him, summarize the main results, outline a plan for the Summit – those that will be considered in July 11 -12,” Yuriy Romanyuk, head of the NGO Ukraine in NATO.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.