The war in Ukraine will continue as long as Russian President Vladimir Putin expects us to give up. This was stated today by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a press conference after the first day of the meeting of the defense ministers of the alliance countries in Brussels, reports BTA.
We must show that we are ready to provide long-term aid to Ukraine. The war will end when Putin realizes he cannot win on the battlefield, he added. The main principle for NATO is for Ukraine to assess what is an acceptable solution for achieving peace, Stoltenberg pointed out in response to a question related to the upcoming peace conference in Switzerland.
Over 99 percent of all military support for Ukraine comes from NATO countries, he noted. Stoltenberg clarified that there is still no agreement on a decision for the pact parties to provide Kiev with at least 40 billion euros of military aid per year and in the long term. According to him, a price list of the aid provided is yet to be prepared so that the data can be compared and the burden of the costs is distributed fairly in relation to the GDP of the individual allies. He clarified that it is planned that half of the aid will be paid by the US, and the remaining 50 percent - by all other countries in the alliance
The Secretary-General expressed expectation that on tomorrow's final day of the meeting in Brussels, the last before the summit in Washington in July, a plan for support and training for Ukrainian troops will be approved. Tomorrow we will discuss new plans to increase defense production, he added. No new delays in supplies to Ukraine should be allowed, because this leads to consequences on the battlefield, Stoltenberg insisted.