NATO declares support for Ukraine in ‘long-term’ conflict with Russia

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reuters

Reuters reported that the Secretary-General NATO Jens Stoltenberg announced on April 28 that the alliance is ready to maintain its enduring support for the Ukraine in the conflict with Russia, including helping Kyiv transition from modern-day weapons Soviet Union to modern Western weapons and systems.

“We need to prepare for the long term. It is entirely possible that this conflict will last for many months and years,” Stoltenberg said at a youth summit in Brussels.

NATO Secretary General also said that the West will continue to exert maximum pressure on Russian President Vladimir Putin through sanctions and economic and military aid to Kyiv to end his military operations in Ukraine.

“NATO allies are preparing to provide long-term aid and also help Ukraine transition from old Soviet-era weapons to more modern NATO-standard weapons and equipment,” Stoltenberg added.

Stoltenberg’s comments came after Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov warned on April 28 that the West’s supply of weapons to Ukraineincluding heavy weapons, pose a threat to the security of mainland Europe “and destabilize”.

Most of the heavy weapons that NATO countries have sent to Ukraine so far are Soviet-made weapons that are still stored in the warehouses of NATO member states in Eastern Europe. However, the United States and several other allies began to supply Kyiv with Western artillery.

Germany on April 26 announced the delivery of a batch of Gepard tanks equipped with anti-aircraft guns to Ukraine. This is also the first time Berlin has approved the delivery of heavy weapons to Kyiv.

Since Russia announced its focus on the Donbass region in eastern Ukraine, Kyiv has repeatedly called on the West for more heavy weapons aid.