NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg held a meeting with EU High Representative Josep Borrell and Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on February 21, 2023, at NATO Headquarters.
During their meeting, the NATO secretary general highlighted that “President Putin launched his illegal war against a peaceful neighbor. The facts are clear for all to see. Nobody is attacking Russia. Russia is the aggressor. Ukraine is the victim of aggression and we are supporting Ukraine’s right to self-defense, which is enshrined in the UN Charter.”
Stoltenberg added that President Putin “thought he could destroy Ukraine and divide us, but he underestimated the determination of the Ukrainian people to defend their homeland and he underestimated our unity.”
The NATO Secretary General reiterated the Alliance’s continuous support for Ukraine and said that NATO needs to “sustain and step up” support for Ukraine. “We must give Ukraine what they need to win and prevail as a sovereign independent nation in Europe,” Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg said that NATO Allies are committed to assisting Ukraine in developing an effective, transparent, and accountable procurement system. He said, “We also agreed today to convene a meeting of NATO, EU, and Ukrainian procurement experts to see what more we can do together to ensure Ukraine has the weapons it needs.”
The officials also discussed Russia’s decision to suspend its participation in the New START Treaty and NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg criticized Russia’s decision on New START, saying that “the whole arms control architecture has been dismantled” and the Allies “encourage Russia to reconsider its decision and to respect existing agreements.”
Stoltenberg said during the press conference that “More nuclear weapons and less arms control makes the world more dangerous. And that’s the reason why in NATO we have worked so hard to engage Russia on issues related to arms control and why NATO Allies have supported the New START.”
Stoltenberg applauded the determination of the Ukrainian people to defend their homeland and said that Russia underestimated the Ukrainian people and the unity of NATO and European allies.
The officials also expressed their concerns on reports regarding China may be planning to provide lethal support for Russia’s war. Stoltenberg said that “We must give Ukraine what they need to win. And prevail as a sovereign independent nation in Europe.”
