NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has stressed the necessity to continue supporting Ukraine, but admitted that this is not an easy task and that Europe will pay a price for help to Kiev. He expressed this view in an interview with German broadcaster ZDF on Tuesday evening.
“We are witnessing unprecedented backing from European NATO allies, Germany, Canada, the US and many other countries around the world. I took part today in Crimean Platform forum of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky – and the message sent there by all the leaders present was clear: we stand in solidarity with Ukraine and will support it for as long as it is necessary. This is a signal from NATO allies,” Stoltenberg said.
He admitted, however, that providing military support to Kiev is not at all an easy task.
“I don’t say it’s easy. It requires hard work. I intend to work with the other leaders of the North Atlantic Alliance in Europe and North America to ensure that we continue our support,” the NATO secretary general pointed out.
At the same time, he noted the contribution Germany is making on this issue, but expressed hope that “the FRG government will do more”.
However, Stoltenberg warned that the coming winter would be harsh.
“We will pay a heavy price for our support of Ukraine because of the sanctions and, of course, because of the fact that Russia uses energy as a weapon. But we must understand that there is no other alternative,” Stoltenberg said.
The NATO secretary general concluded that Western countries need to continue on their chosen course in order to “increase the likelihood of an acceptable outcome from Ukraine’s point of view”.
“The very best thing we can do is to provide military, financial, humanitarian and economic support to Ukraine,” he stressed.
Stoltenberg concluded by noting that support for Ukraine could last for years, but “it will have consequences not only in the military sphere, but also in industry,” adding that production needs to be increased.
” We have two roles as NATO: we must support Ukraine, a partner close to us. The other is to prevent an escalation of war,” he said, recalling that Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty, signed in Washington in 1949, which provides for a collective response in the event of an “armed attack on one or more” NATO member states, was undeniable.
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