NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a press conference with Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze stated the difficult situation in the criminal war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine.
What Stoltenberg says about the situation in Ukraine and help from allies
Russia pursues imperial ambitions, and the situation in Ukraine, on the battlefield, is difficult. It is therefore vital that we strengthen support. NATO allies provide 99% of military aid, and our partners also play an important role, noted the head of the Alliance.
He also noted that he welcomes Georgia's help accepting thousands of Ukrainian refugees and providing significant humanitarian and financial aid to our country.
What analysts say
According to defence and security expert, former director general of the Royal Joint Services Institute, a London-based think tank on defence and security Michael Clarke, in an interview with Radio Liberty journalists, 2024 is a critical year in the criminal war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine, as the advantage has now shifted to the side of the Russian occupiers.
This third year of war is extremely important because Putin believes he is on the rise. He believes that the war in Gaza and softening of Western support for Ukraine, especially in the United States, gives him an advantage, and he is pushing in all directions. And that is why the Russians believe that they will be able to win back even more territory, perhaps the entire Donbas, by the end of this year. In 2025, the pendulum may begin to swing in the direction of Russia - maybe, maybe not. But by 2025, if Ukraine manages to survive this year, it will have its own arms industry and may well receive more long-term military aid from the West. And the Russians will not be able to carry out a major or strategic offensive against Ukraine until the spring of 2025, so they will get everything they can in 2024, the expert noted.
Clarke also warned that Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin would try to provoke a political crisis in Ukraine.
As long as Zelenskyy is the president, there will be no negotiations on Russian terms. But if Zelenskyy is removed from the post of president, it is quite possible. So 2024 is a very critical year. It will be a long war. This is an industrial age war, which means it will last for several years, but not forever. During the war of the industrial age, the pendulum swings back and forth. And currently the pendulum is swinging in the direction of Russia. If he continues to swing toward Russia, it is possible that Ukraine will essentially be defeated, but he should also begin to swing toward Ukraine if it survives this year, in 2025-2026, the analyst explains.
According to him, if the European partners take the necessary steps to meet Ukraine and provide everything required for continued resistance to the Russian Federation's armed aggression this year and next, this will demonstrate the unity of the EU.
There is a core of European countries that are ready to do what is necessary. And one of the main questions is the following - will Germany join this core of countries, or will it continue to be ambiguous about all this. But it is clear from the initiatives of the Czech Republic that there are ways to increase the supply of artillery to Ukraine. The EU has a plan to send 1 million shells, but, as always, the EU has fulfilled only a part of its plans... The EU constantly underperforms and promises more than it can deliver. He does something, but he never does as much as he says, so the initiative returns to individual countries and groups of countries that see the Ukrainian crisis as it is, emphasised Clark.
He noted that this would allow Ukraine to establish supplies to survive this year but that Washington was crucial.
If America comes back on board, then Ukraine will be quite safe. If America doesn't get back on board, then it's very important what Germany does, the analyst explains.
