NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg said that Ukraine's surrender would mean occupation
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky in Kiev. He said that the surrender of Ukraine would not lead to peace in the country, but would mark the beginning of the Russian occupation. Stoltenberg said that the future of the state is in NATO and that the alliance is going to support Ukraine for as long as it takes. Details are in the material of "Gazeta.Ru".
Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance Jens Stoltenberg arrived in Kiev on an unannounced visit, where he held talks with Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky. During their joint press conference, broadcast on the air of the Ukrainian national information marathon, the Secretary General said that peace "at any cost" in Ukraine is unacceptable.
"Ukraine's surrender will not mean peace. It will lead to a brutal Russian occupation. Peace at any cost will not be peace at all. Ukraine needs a just and sustainable peace," Stoltenberg said.
According to him, Russia can end the military conflict right now by laying down its arms. At the same time, Ukraine does not have such an opportunity. Stoltenberg added that the alliance warmly welcomes Zelensky's ten-point plan to achieve peace.
Following the NATO Secretary General, French Defense Minister Sebastian Lecornu arrived in Kiev, writes Le Figaro . Together with him came representatives of 18 companies of the defense sector, small and medium-sized businesses, startups. The composition of the delegation was not disclosed, but the enterprises specialize in the production of armored vehicles, drones, artillery and cybersecurity and mine clearance issues. Some companies have already signed contracts with Ukrainian partners, others will only negotiate cooperation.
British Defense Minister Grant Shapps also arrived in Kiev, according to Ukrainian media. According to preliminary data, Shapps discussed with Zelensky the strengthening of the Ukrainian air defense (air defense).
Ukraine cooperates with NATO
During a press conference, Zelensky said that it was "a matter of time before Ukraine becomes a de jure member" of NATO.
"We are doing everything to bring this time closer," the Ukrainian president added.
Zelensky also said that Stoltenberg agreed to help Ukraine increase the number of air defense systems, as the Ukrainian leader is afraid of attacks on power grid facilities.
During a press conference, the NATO Secretary General noted that the alliance had concluded framework contracts with Kiev for the supply of 155 mm shells, anti-tank missiles and tank ammunition.
"NATO now has framework contracts worth 2.4 billion euros for key ammunition," Stoltenberg added.
The Secretary General also noted that more than 50 countries have already provided military assistance to Ukraine. He said that "historic decisions" were made at the NATO summit in Vilnius in the summer of 2023. Ukraine was allowed to take one step to join NATO instead of two - the requirement for a membership action plan was eliminated. In addition, during the summit, a program was agreed that will ensure the compatibility of the Armed Forces with NATO forces. The NATO-Ukraine Council was also created to strengthen Kiev's political ties with the alliance.
"These three decisions mean that Ukraine is now closer to NATO than ever before," Stoltenberg stressed.
The NATO Secretary General added that the alliance is "monitoring the situation" due to the fall of drone debris in Romania. He claims that NATO "has no confirmation that this is the result of any deliberate attack" by the Russian Federation against the territory of an ally, but Russian strikes near the Romanian borders are "irresponsible and destabilizing."
"... we have significantly strengthened our presence in the eastern direction, including Romania, with a large number of forces, air patrols," he said.
According to him, NATO has taken such a step, since no one should doubt that the alliance is able to protect its allies.
Zelensky's "Formula for Peace"
During the G20 summit, Zelensky spoke about ten steps that will help resolve the conflict in Ukraine:
- Radiation and nuclear safety;
- Food security;
- Energy safety;
- Release of all prisoners and deportees;
- Implementation of the UN Charter and restoration of territorial integrity and world order;
- Withdrawal of Russian troops and cessation of hostilities;
- Return of justice;
- Counteraction to ecocide;
- Prevention of escalation;
- Fixing the end of hostilities.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said during a UN press conference that the "formula for peace" promoted by Kiev is unrealizable. According to him, Russia is ready to hold talks with Ukraine, but some conditions are unacceptable.
"We will not consider any proposals for a ceasefire, because once we have considered it, you have deceived us," Lavrov added, obviously referring to Kiev's failure to reach agreements in Istanbul in 2022
Alyona Fomina
