NATO will ‘step up and sustain support’ for Ukraine, secretary general says

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the organization’s defense ministers will meet on Wednesday and Thursday to “step up and sustain support” for Ukraine as Russia launches a barrage of missiles at the country. 

Stoltenberg gave a press conference on Tuesday ahead of the meeting, saying that the defense ministers will also review their progress in strengthening NATO’s defense and deterrence and work to increase their protection of NATO’s “critical infrastructure.” 

He said NATO wants to ensure that Ukraine can continue to defend itself and liberate territory that Russia has captured during the war, noting its counteroffensives that have seen Kyiv retake thousands of square kilometers of territory in the past month. 

Russian President Vladimir Putin responded to the bombing of a key bridge over the weekend with a barrage of missiles on military and civilian targets in Ukraine, leading Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to amplify calls for Western support to strengthen its air defenses.

Stoltenberg said Putin is failing in his attempt to conquer Ukraine while Russia is “increasingly resorting to horrific and indiscriminate attacks on civilians and critical infrastructure.” 

He said NATO’s support for Ukraine is playing a key role, and allies are remaining united in supporting Ukrainian sovereignty. He said Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov will join the meeting on Wednesday. 

Stoltenberg’s remarks come one day after he said that NATO will proceed with its long-planned nuclear exercises next week, despite increased tensions over whether Russia will resort to using nuclear weapons in the war. 

Putin has recently sought to emphasize Russia’s nuclear power, as Moscow illegally carried out the annexation of four regions of Ukraine last month.

Analysts have said they are concerned that Putin now considers the annexed Ukrainian regions to be parts of Russia that he would defend with nuclear weapons. The Biden administration has warned Putin that using nuclear weapons would result in severe consequences.