NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg noted that currently there is no unity among the member states of the Alliance regarding Ukraine's membership, which is necessary for the adoption of this decision.
Points of attention
- NATO lacks unity among member states regarding Ukraine's membership, hindering the decision-making process.
- The Alliance supports Ukraine by providing military assistance, including weapons and defense institution creation, without sending troops to Ukrainian territory.
- NATO condemns Russia's aggression in Ukraine and emphasizes Ukraine's right to self-defense, even allowing strikes on strategic targets in Russian territory.
- Stoltenberg stresses the importance of lifting restrictions on military aid to Ukraine to help defend against Russian aggression, highlighting the increasing support from the United States and European allies.
- NATO draws conclusions from the Russian-Ukrainian war, emphasizing the need for modern warfare training and collaboration between NATO and Ukrainian forces.
There is no consensus in NATO regarding Ukraine's membership
We all agree that Ukraine will become a member of NATO, we support the movement of Ukraine to the Alliance. It is necessary to have NATO weapons, meet NATO standards, and create defense institutions. And we will work together, we will help Ukraine on its way to NATO. But a consensus is needed to issue an invitation. We have not yet reached a consensus on the issue of the invitation, but we have already reached a consensus on the provision of military assistance. It is necessary to work in this direction - Stoltenberg stressed.
He also noted that Ukraine has the right to self-defense in the context of the permission to strike strategic objects on the territory of Russia with Western weapons.
We must not forget that this war was started by Russia, as the aggressor. Russia occupied part of Ukraine. Ukraine has the right to self-defense. This right includes the right to destroy legitimate military targets on the territory of the aggressor - Russia. We have provided 99% of military aid to Ukraine, although certain restrictions have been imposed on the use of these weapons. However, we will relax these restrictions, as Russia has launched a new offensive in the north, near Kharkiv. They are attacking from Russian territory, and Ukraine has the right to destroy the missile launchers from which Kharkiv is being fired upon. Therefore, the restrictions are gradually being lifted, and this will help Ukrainians to defend themselves, the head of the Alliance emphasized.
According to Stoltenberg, Russia is currently paying a high price for a new offensive operation in Ukraine.
A very high price - thousands of people, thousands of pieces of equipment. Of course, it is difficult for Ukrainians to fight against the Russian invasion, for a long time the provision of aid to Ukraine was discussed. The USA could not vote for the aid package for Ukraine for 6 months, the European allies delayed the transfer of the promised weapons. Now everything has changed. The United States agreed to provide aid to Ukraine in the amount of 61 billion dollars. Today we decided to create a support team for Ukraine. Therefore, aid to Ukraine will be more intensive and strong, - Stoltenberg emphasized.
At the same time, the head of the Alliance noted that it is not about sending NATO troops to Ukraine.
NATO has said from the very beginning that it will support Ukraine, and we have indeed provided a great deal of support to Ukraine. We in NATO have agreed that we will train the Ukrainian military. However, NATO always emphasizes that we are not a party to the conflict and therefore do not send our troops to Ukraine, Stoltenberg explains.
He also dismissed Kremlin dictator Vladimir Putin's threats to use nuclear weapons against Ukraine or partner countries.
We have heard many threats about the use of nuclear weapons from President Putin. Their goal is to stop us from supporting Ukraine. However, these threats are not in vain. President Putin should know that there are no winners in a nuclear war, Stoltenberg noted.
What conclusions did NATO draw from the war unleashed by Russia against Ukraine
According to Stoltenberg, NATO has already drawn a number of conclusions from Russia's war against Ukraine.
We need to create a larger stockpile of weapons. After the end of the Cold War, we reduced them. In the 21st century, war has changed a lot compared to previous wars. Now the war is combined with drones - it is necessary to apply new technologies, draw conclusions from the lessons learned. We agreed to create joint training centers in Bydgoszcz together with the Ukrainians. Ukrainians will learn from us, and we will learn from them, - emphasized Stoltenberg.
