The secretary general of the alliance said that Russia has been given a message of serious consequences if it uses even low-power nuclear weapons in Ukraine.
Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Brussels on the eve of a two-day meeting of defense ministers of the Alliance member countries:
President Putin's veiled nuclear threats are dangerous and irresponsible. Russia knows that a nuclear war cannot be won, and it should never be unleashed. We closely monitor Russian nuclear forces. We have not seen any changes in Russian positions, but we remain vigilant. NATO is ready for any attack against any member country. And we clearly conveyed to Russia that there will be serious consequences if they use nuclear weapons in any way, including low-power nuclear weapons in Ukraine, Stoltenberg emphasized.
A Russian victory in the war against Ukraine will be a defeat for NATO
Ukraine must win the war started by Russia, otherwise it will be a defeat for the Alliance, Stoltenberg said.
"President Putin started this war. He must stop it by withdrawing his forces from Ukraine. And President Lukashenko must stop complicity with Belarus in this illegal conflict,
At the same time, the Secretary General of the Alliance emphasized that providing support to Ukraine was the right thing to do.
It is important for all of us that Ukraine wins on the battlefield in the war against Russian invaders. Because if Putin wins, it will not only be a great defeat for Ukrainians, it will be a defeat and a danger for all of us, because it will make the world more dangerous, and this will make us more vulnerable to further Russian aggression
He noted that for the victory of Ukraine, weapons were transferred to it from the stockpiles of NATO member countries, but these stocks must be replenished. “And that’s why we’re now looking at how we can increase production, so that we make more to replenish stocks, but also to continue to support Ukraine,” he said.
“I expect ministers to decide tomorrow and the day after tomorrow how to use NATO’s defense planning process to agree on more ambitious roadmaps for a range of options, including increased stockpiling,” Stoltenberg said.
He also said that Ukraine needs a variety of systems, including more lethal weapons, more artillery, armored vehicles, anti-tank weapons, air defense systems, but also non-lethal support in the form of fuel, winter clothing, communications and other assistance . In addition, Stoltenberg announced that the Alliance will hold nuclear deterrence exercises next week.
