West must support Ukraine ‘every day until bloodshed stops’: NATO chief Mark Rutte
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NATO secretary-general Mark Rutte said Western support is needed to help Ukraine defend itself.
PHOTO: EPA
BRUSSELS – Ukraine’s Western allies must ramp up “military, financial and humanitarian aid” if Kyiv is to prevail against Russia, NATO chief Mark Rutte warned on Feb 24 on the fourth anniversary of Russia’s invasion.
“This support is essential. Ukraine needs more, because a promise of help does not end the war,” the alliance secretary-general told a ceremony at NATO headquarters.
“Ukraine needs ammunition today and every day until the bloodshed stops.”
Standing alongside Ukraine’s ambassador to the alliance Alyona Getmanchuk, Mr Rutte said Western support was “imperative” to enable Ukraine to “defend itself against Russian terror from the sky and to hold the front lines”.
Ms Getmanchuk told diplomats and military officers from NATO’s 32 member states “every additional air‑defence system, every delivery of ammunition, every interceptor missile not only saves lives – it also strengthens Ukraine’s position at the negotiating table”.
As the so-called “Coalition of the Willing” supporting Kyiv prepared to meet on Feb 24 to mark four years since the invasion, Mr Rutte reiterated the conditions for a “lasting” peace.
“When the fighting eventually stops, the peace has to halt with strong Ukrainian forces ready to deter and defend, and effective security guarantees from Ukraine’s partners – Europe, Canada and the United States,” Mr Rutte said.
“There cannot be true peace in Europe without real peace in Ukraine,” he said. “This has been a bleak winter for Ukraine, but there is hope and help at hand.” AFP
