NATO needs to alter the course of the war in Ukraine, and to achieve this, the Alliance must "go further" in its support. This was stated by NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, as reported by The Guardian.
"Our support for Ukraine has allowed them to continue the fight, but we need to go further to change the trajectory of the conflict," said the NATO Secretary General.
In particular, according to Rutte, it is essential to provide critically important air defense for Ukraine and fulfill commitments made at the NATO summit in Washington.
"New command, NATO's command for coordinating security assistance and training, a financial commitment of 40 billion euros in 2024, and further measures to bring Ukraine closer to NATO," he added.
Rutte also emphasized the critical importance of increasing investments and production in the defense industry.
The Secretary General reminded that Russia is using North Korean weapons and troops, Iranian drones, and Chinese dual-use goods for its defense industry in the war against Ukraine.
"This is a dangerous escalation of the war and a challenge to global peace and security… The good news is that we have NATO, the alliance we need to protect every inch of our territory," he noted.
The NATO PA adopted a resolution on assistance to Ukraine
It specifically includes the provision of medium-range missiles to Kyiv, including Tomahawk-type. The resolution also allows strikes against Russian military targets using the provided weapons.
The Alliance also stated that Russia remains the most significant and direct threat to the security of its allies, and named China as a crucial enabler of Russia's aggressive war against Ukraine.