By BUCHAREST. Nov 29 (Interfax-Ukraine) – Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba will call on NATO allies to make decisions faster regarding the supply of weapons to Ukraine and assistance to restore the destroyed infrastructure.
He said this in Bucharest on Tuesday during a brief approach to the press together with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. As it is known, within the framework of the meeting of NATO foreign Ministers, Kuleba will meet with his colleagues in the format of a dinner.
"The last time I was invited to a NATO meeting, I came with three words: weapons, weapons, weapons. Since then, much has been done to help Ukraine to equip our army with the necessary weapons. These weapons help us liberate our territories, save people from torture and humiliating treatment by the Russian occupation forces … Today I have three other words: faster, faster, faster. We appreciate everything that has been done, but the war continues," Kuleba stated.
The Minister stressed that Ukrainians have proved that they can defeat Russia.
"We have proved that we can win together in the interests of the entire Euro-Atlantic area and the whole world. But decisions regarding weapons, regarding the launch of new production lines of weapons in Western countries should be made faster, and the supply of weapons should also be faster. And this is what we are discussing today with the ministers – how to speed things up," he said.
Kuleba also expressed the opinion that, "most likely, this will be the first meeting of NATO ministers, at which the issue of energy security will be as important as the issue of security."
"Yes, transformers, generators and other equipment are very important. In this regard, NATO’s comprehensive assistance package plays a very important role. This is not military aid to Ukraine to help us get through the winter. We need air defense systems and transformers. When we have transformers and generators, we can restore our systems and provide people with the necessary living conditions that President Putin is trying to deprive us of. When we have air defense systems, we will be able to protect this infrastructure from the next Russian missile attack. They will still be, unfortunately. This is a reality that we must be prepared for," he elaborated.
In turn, Stoltenberg expressed confidence that the message from today’s meeting will be that NATO allies and partners will continue to support Ukraine.
The NATO Secretary General reiterated the alliance’s position by saying that they would be with Ukraine for as long as it takes, assuring that they wouldn’t back down. He said it is extremely important that President Putin cannot win in Ukraine. According to him, it would be a tragedy for Ukraine, but it would also make the world more dangerous and vulnerable, that is why it is in the interests of security that NATO supports Ukraine.
The Secretary General also said that the Alliance was shocked by Russia’s indiscriminate attacks on Ukrainian cities and infrastructure.
“President Putin is trying to weaponise winter. To force Ukrainians to freeze or flee. He is trying to break the will of the brave Ukrainian people. And to divide all of us who support them,” he is convinced.
