NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in an interview with the Guardian said there were no prospects yet for resolving the conflict in Ukraine, so Western countries should prepare for long-term hostilities. term that go “until exhaustion”.
Stoltenberg stressed that Moscow does not foresee a peaceful outcome to the conflict and called for an increase in production capacity for the supply of ammunition and weapons to Kiev. “Therefore, the West must be prepared to provide Kiev with lethal aid for a long time,” he said.
The general secretary of the alliance explained that the ammunition consumption rate is now higher than the production rate.
According to Stoltenberg, the military assistance is aimed at carrying out a counter-offensive by the Ukrainian Armed Forces. He noted that a decision on the supply of US F-16 fighters has yet to be made.
Commenting on China’s efforts to mediate the conflict in Ukraine, the NATO secretary general said Beijing should understand Kiev’s prospects and engage directly with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy . Stoltenberg also lamented that the PRC leadership has yet to condemn Russia’s actions in Ukraine.
On March 21, Bild, quoting “one of the high-ranking representatives of the alliance”, wrote that leading NATO analysts suggest that during the military operation in Ukraine, a “critical half” is coming. for both parties to the conflict. According to the publication’s interlocutor, in May the Armed Forces of Ukraine will begin to use military equipment, weapons and ammunition that Western countries supply to Kiev in order to “force the Russian army out of the south and east from the country”. The day before, Czech President Petr Pavel had said that if the Ukrainian counter-offensive failed, Western military aid to Kiev would be reduced. Western aid has limits, he says. According to the Czech leader, on the eve of the elections (in 2024), American society and politicians will focus on domestic issues, and if foreign policy issues appear in the election campaign, they will not concern Europe, but relations with China. The Czech president believes that Washington’s interest in Kiev and the level of US aid may decline next year, after which it will do the same for many countries in Europe.
