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 the delivery of more weapons to Ukraine so that it can retake territory that has been occupied by Russia, including the Crimean Peninsula. Stoltenberg, speaking at the Crimea Platform summit on August 23, also warned that a harsh winter awaits Ukraine and its NATO supporters, necessitating continued support for Kyiv despite the costs.

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

He further added, "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. Therefore, we must sustain our support for Ukraine for the long term, so that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign independent nation."

Stoltenberg joined other world leaders in requesting that Ukraine retake control of Crimea during their summit speeches. The NATO Secretary-General claimed that Russia illegally annexed Crimea eight years ago, making it one of the 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 (Vladimir) Putin thought he could crush the Ukrainian people and armed forces. He thought he could divide our democratic nations and he thought he could dictate what others do. President Putin was wrong," Stoltenberg remarked.

The majority of Ukraine's military assistance has come from NATO members, particularly the 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 the alliance after decades of neutrality, it is possible that Russia's expensive operation in Ukraine backfired.

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

Image: AP