BRUSSELS, November 28. /TASS/: NATO needs to be prepared for more fighting in Ukraine, the bloc’s Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said upon arrival to a meeting of NATO foreign ministers.
"We will, of course, discuss the situation in Ukraine. We see intense fighting along the frontline and we have seen waves of drone attacks against Ukrainian cities and we need to be prepared for more fighting and also more air and missile attacks against Ukrainian cities. This just makes it even more important that NATO Allies continue to support Ukraine," Stoltenberg pointed out.
The NATO chief also said that he was "very careful predicting the developments along the frontline because wars are by nature unpredictable." "The frontline has not moved over the last year," he added.
Stoltenberg also welcomed plans by Germany and the Netherlands to allocate up to ten bln euros in military aid to Ukraine in 2024, as well as NATO countries’ decision to create a coalition to "coordinate efforts to provide air defense to Ukraine." "Allies are doing a lot and I also expect at the meeting today and tomorrow that Allies will reiterate their strong support to Ukraine," the NATO secretary general said.
Stoltenberg was "confident that the United States will continue to provide support" to Kiev despite budget issues.
On Wednesday, Brussels will host the first foreign ministers’ meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council. Meanwhile, NATO and US officials have already said they don’t expect any practical decisions to be made at the meeting. According to Stoltenberg, participants will discuss how they can "move Ukraine and NATO even closer together," with the understanding that Ukraine cannot join the bloc in the midst of an armed conflict.
