Belgium (Brussels Morning Newspaper), We will decide on recommendations for Ukraine’s top reforms at our meetings. As we keep assisting Kyiv in its efforts to join NATO. Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a press conference in Brussels.
In the coming two days, the foreign ministers of NATO will talk about pressing security issues: We live in the most perilous world in many years. increasing rivalry across the world. Ukraine is at war. And as well as fresh hostilities in the Middle East. NATO Secretary General said
Stoltenberg mentioned three points: First, by eliminating the need for a Membership Action Plan for Ukraine, we reduced the length of Ukraine’s membership road from two steps to one. Thus, the portion that has been taken is that. By eliminating the need for a Membership Action Plan, we have essentially eliminated one of the stages that Ukraine must complete in order to become a full member a move that we have also made for Finland and Sweden.
Second, we have created a NATO Ukraine Council, a significant entity that allows Ukraine and all NATO Allies to gather around a table with equal rights and responsibilities and make decisions together. Naturally, this brings Ukraine much closer to NATO. Said Secretary General
Third, the NATO Allies are providing F-16s, battle tanks, artillery, and training all of which are helping Ukraine become closer to NATO in a very practical way because they are becoming more and more capable of collaborating and operating alongside NATO soldiers and using NATO doctrines and training protocols. Also, Romania opened an F-16 training center for Ukrainian pilots. NATO Secretary General added
NATO Secretary said Ukraine has the authority to determine the appropriate means of putting an end to this conflict. It is our duty to stand behind Ukraine, help them liberate as much territory as they can, and position them for success should or may not negotiations begin. Conflicts are naturally unpredictable. There is no indication that President Putin is preparing for a peaceful transition; on the contrary, he appears to be preparing for further hostilities. What is certain, though, is that Ukraine will have a stronger position both on the battlefield and at any prospective negotiation table the more military help we provide them.
We must never forget the point at which the war first broke out. We were afraid that President Putin would take control of Kyiv in days and that Ukraine would fall apart in weeks. That was not the case; on the contrary. Stoltenberg added
NATO Secretary said, Russian forces were forced to retreat to the east, south, and north by the Ukrainians. With a full-fledged invasion, they liberated half of the region that Russia had controlled at the start of the war, and they emerged victorious as an independent, democratic country in Europe. This is a big victory for Ukraine. At the same time, Russia has suffered big losses.
NATO is stepping up its military presence in the Alliance’s eastern region. and increased the number of battlegroups to two, deployed more air and naval assets in the Alliance’s eastern region, and increased the number of armed forces with high readiness. Our intention is not to incite a confrontation, but rather to avert one and ensure that Moscow cannot misjudge our willingness to stand up for our allies.
Said Stoltenberg, Pursuing peace and preventing conflict by having a credible deterrence and defense is essentially the same as what NATO has been doing for almost 75 years. And that’s what we’ll keep doing: preventing Russia from going any farther and genuinely trying to find a way to end the crisis in Ukraine so that it can emerge as an independent state. Two significant Allies have declared that they will be providing an additional 10 billion euros for military assistance to Ukraine in the last few weeks. “It is our security interest that President Putin does not win this war.”
Regarding Israel/Palestine, he said: “I’m glad that captives have been released as a result of the agreement between Israel and Hamas. Plus, the supply of more humanitarian aid”.
I ask that the pause be extended. This would enable the Gazan people to get much-needed help. and the more hostages were freed. The pain we have witnessed emphasizes the necessity of a long-term political resolution. Said Stoltenberg
As this will provide much-needed relief to the people of Gaza, I urge a prolongation of the halt. More hostage releases will also be made possible by it. In the Israel/Palestine conflict, NATO as an alliance has never taken an active part. With our training mission in Iraq and our close partnership with Jordan, we are present in the wider area in the fight against ISIS. Additionally, we work to strengthen defense capabilities. It goes without saying that we are worried about the dispute possibly getting worse. He added
Iran should thus control its proxies, according to our message. Of course, the drone attacks that we have witnessed on US personnel in the area as well as on commercial ships are quite concerning and emphasize how crucial it is that Iran avoids using this as an opportunity to escalate the confrontation into a larger regional war. NATO Secretary said there are allies of NATO throughout the larger Middle East region. Attacks on commercial shipping as well as drone and rocket strikes on US troops in Syria and Iraq have been witnessed. This emphasizes the possibility of escalation. Iran needs to control its stooges.
In the area, we have partners. Not only does Israel have allies in NATO, but Jordan, Iraq, the Gulf States, and other Arab nations also do. Additionally, we collaborate with and pay attention to our regional partners during this crucial time. We thus applaud the ceasefire in the conflict, which has made it possible to free the hostages and provide humanitarian aid to the Gaza population. remarked by the NATO security general during the press conference in Brussels.
He said the threats China poses to our security will also be discussed by our Allies at our ministerial. I applaud the recent talks between China and the Allies. Conversation is essential. Among other ways, through our objective to strengthen Iraqi capacity.
