NATO chief urges West to send more weapons to Ukraine; 'Winter will be hard...'

Jens Stoltenberg, Secretary-General of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO), has urged Western countries to speed up delivery of more weapons to Ukraine so that it can retake territory that has been occupied by Russia, including Crimean Peninsula. Stoltenberg, speaking at Crimea Platform summit on August 23, also warned that a harsh winter awaits Ukraine and its NATO supporters, necessitating continued support for Kyiv despite costs.

"NATO is part of US-led Ukraine Defence Contact Group to mobilise support, and I actively engage with leers to urge m to provide more weapons, and more ammunition, more quickly," Stoltenberg said.

He furr ded, "Winter is coming, and it will be hard. What we see now is a grinding war of attrition. This is a battle of wills and a battle of logistics. refore, we must sustain our support for Ukraine for long term, so that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign independent nation."

Stoltenberg joined or world leers in requesting that Ukraine retake control of Crimea during ir summit speeches. NATO Secretary-General claimed that Russia illegally annexed Crimea eight years ago, making it one of most militarised regions of Europe and using it as a jumping-off point for a full-scale invasion of Ukraine six months later.

'President Putin was wrong'

"(Russian) President (Vlimir) Putin thought he could crush Ukrainian people and armed forces. He thought he could divide our democratic nations and he thought he could dictate what ors do. President Putin was wrong," Stoltenberg remarked.

majority of Ukraine's military assistance has come from NATO members, particularly United States. Russian officials, including Putin, cited Ukraine's desire to join NATO as a major grievance in an effort to defend Moscow's most recent invasion. With Finland and Sweden planning to join alliance after deces of neutrality, it is possible that Russia's expensive operation in Ukraine backfired.

"open door" policy of NATO, according to alliance leers, is still in place despite Kremlin demands that Kyiv be barred from any future membership. On its eastern flank, alliance has been shifting to a more assertive stance. Stoltenberg said, "We have strengned our presence in east of alliance."

Image: AP