NATO foreign ministers to discuss more support to Ukraine: Alliance chief

By Busra Nur Cakmak

ANKARA (AA) – NATO foreign ministers will discuss more military support to Ukraine, the alliance’s chief said on Thursday.

In a doorstep statement along with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba ahead of the NATO foreign ministers’ meeting, Jens Stoltenberg said: “I'm certain that we will address the need for more air defense systems, anti-tank weapons, lighter, but also heavier weapons and many different types of support to Ukraine.”

“NATO also has a responsibility to, of course, protect and defend all allies. So, we have, since the invasion of Ukraine, stepped our military presence in the eastern part of the Alliance,” said Stoltenberg.

“And we are making sure that there is no room for misunderstanding, miscalculation in Moscow about our readiness to protect and defend all allies,” he added.

For his part, Kuleba said: “My agenda is very simple. It has only three items on it – weapons, weapons, and weapons.”

“I call on all allies to put aside their hesitations, their reluctance to provide Ukraine with everything it needs. Because as weird as it may sound, but today, weapons serve the purpose of peace,” he added.

The Russian war on Ukraine, which started on Feb. 24, has drawn international outrage, with the EU, US, and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,563 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 2,213 injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.

More than 4.3 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.