NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Tuesday said the alliance would not pull back in its support for Ukraine, calling on partners to pledge more winter aid for Kyiv as it braced itself for more cold and darkness due to Russian attacks on infrastructure, according to Reuters.
NATO foreign ministers meeting in Bucharest are focusing on ramping up military assistance for Ukraine such as air defence systems and ammunition, even as diplomats acknowledge supply and capacity issues, but also discuss non-lethal aid as well.
Part of this non-lethal aid – such as fuel, medical supplies, winter equipment and drone jammers – has been delivered through a NATO assistance package that allies can contribute to and which Stoltenberg aims to increase.
“Nato will continue to stand for Ukraine as long as it takes. We will not back down,” Stoltenberg said in a speech in Bucharest.
“The main focus is supporting Ukraine and ensuring President Vladimir Putin doesn’t win,” he said, adding that the only way to get the right terms for a negotiation to begin would be for Ukraine to advance on the battlefield.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned his fellow citizens of new Russian attacks this week that could be as bad as last week’s, the worst yet, which left millions of people with no heat, water or power.
Russia acknowledges attacking Ukrainian infrastructure. It denies its intent is to hurt civilians.
Washington had been working with U.S. utilities and hardware providers and with European nations to locate equipment that can help restore high-voltage transmission stations damaged by Russian missile strikes, senior State Department official told reporters. The official did not specify what form the assistance would take or how much it would be worth.
France and Germany have said they are sending more than 100 power generators each to help stabilize the electricity grid.
Ministers will also discuss Ukraine’s application for NATO membership. But they are likely to only confirm the alliance’s open-door policy while NATO membership still appears far away.
Georgia, Republic of Moldova and Bosnia will also attend the meeting on Wednesday as the alliance looks to strengthen ties with the countries amid fears Russia is seeking to destabilize states beyond Ukraine.