NATO chief says alliance will not back down on Ukraine aid

 NATO Secretary General calls on member states to pledge more aid for Kyiv during winter amid relentless Russian attacks.

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has accused Russia of “trying to use winter as a weapon of war” as he called on member states to pledge more aid for Ukraine amid Moscow’s relentless attacks on the country’s power infrastructure.

Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure have left millions of people without power, heat and water as winter temperatures have plummeted to below zero.

NATO will continue to stand for Ukraine as long as it takes. We will not back down,' Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in a speech in Bucharest, Romania

In a statement on Tuesday, NATO ministers meeting in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, condemned Russia’s “persistent and unconscionable attacks on Ukrainian civilian and energy infrastructure” and confirmed a 2008 decision that Ukraine will eventually join the alliance.

“NATO’s door is open,” Stoltenberg said, as allies promised more arms for Kyiv and equipment to help restore power and heat.

“Russia does not have a veto” on countries joining, Stoltenberg said.

Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba called for an immediate supply of weapons, especially advanced air defence systems, to come “faster, faster, faster” as he joined the two-day meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

“When we have transformers and generators, we can restore our system, our energy grid, and provide people with decent living conditions,” Kuleba said.

NATO foreign ministers are focused on ramping up military assistance for the war-torn nation, such as air-defence systems and ammunition.

Diplomats have acknowledged supply and capacity issues, however, as they also discuss non-lethal aid.

Part of this non-lethal aid – goods such as fuel, medical supplies, winter equipment and drone jammers – has been delivered through a NATO assistance package allies can contribute to and which Stoltenberg aims to increase.

“NATO will continue to stand for Ukraine as long as it takes. We will not back down,” Stoltenberg said in a speech in Bucharest.

He added that the only way to get the right terms for a negotiation to begin would be for Ukraine to advance on the battlefield.

Stoltenberg’s comments were echoed by several ministers from the 30-member alliance, who were also joined by Finland and Sweden as they look to secure full membership pending Turkish and Hungarian ratifications.

“The coming months will be a big test for us all. For Ukraine, it is existential, for us moral. We must continue helping Ukraine for as long as necessary,” Slovak Foreign Minister Rastislav Kacer said. Read More on..