(New: Blinken, Stoltenberg, details)
Brussels/Berlin (Reuters) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken sees no signs of fatigue among the NATO states in their support of Ukraine against the Russian war of aggression.
“We must and will continue to support Ukraine,” said Blinken at the conclusion of discussions between NATO foreign ministers in Brussels on Wednesday. This position was represented by each of the 31 member states of the alliance. He also assumes that the US Congress will approve further aid for the war-torn country in the next few weeks.
At the meeting, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock appealed to the international community to give Ukraine a firm helping hand as winter approaches. As was the case a year ago, Russia is deliberately bombing the infrastructure in Ukraine in order to cut off people’s supply of electricity and warm water, said Baerbock in Brussels. Therefore, a winter protection umbrella must be put in place, for which Germany has already provided generators and Patriot anti-aircraft systems. “And I once again call on the world to do everything we can to put together this winter protection umbrella for Ukraine.”
In Brussels, the newly created NATO-Ukraine Council met for the first time at foreign minister level. “The NATO-Ukraine Council will be the driving force with which Ukraine is moving ever closer to NATO,” Baerbock continued. “NATO standards, capability planning and armed forces reform are central to this path.” Germany is providing an additional 11.5 million euros for a NATO-Ukraine trust fund. “The view of Ukraine is currently disappearing from the public – that is fatal,” warned Baerbock and added: “The attacks from Russia on the civilian infrastructure are harder than ever.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Russia has currently accumulated a large number of missiles, apparently to use them specifically with a view to the winter. Ukraine was represented in Brussels by Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba. He called for greater coordination between his country’s defense industries and those of the NATO states. It must be ensured that the Ukrainian armed forces have the means to defeat Russia. Of the one million artillery shells initially promised, the European Union has so far only delivered around 300,000 to Ukraine.
UKRAINE: BAD WEATHER HIMMED RUSSIANS
The Ukrainian Air Force said it repelled Russian attacks with 21 drones and three cruise missiles on Wednesday night. The Iranian Shahed drones flew into the Khmelnitsky region and the cruise missiles targeted targets in the south of Ukraine, the air force said on Telegram. Only one cruise missile was not launched, but it missed its target. The Russian Defense Ministry had previously announced that four cruise missiles had been launched from a frigate.
According to Ukrainian information, bad weather is hindering the Russian advance in the east of the country. “We don’t see any equipment arriving,” a Ukrainian officer said on state television. “The weather is bad. But as soon as the frost comes and the ground becomes harder, an attack with heavy equipment is possible.” Violent storms with heavy rain – and snow in the south – have softened the ground and made it unsuitable for military maneuvers.
(Reporting by Humeyra Pamuk, Andrew Gray, Alexander Ratz; Edited by; If you have any questions, please contact our editorial team at [email protected])