NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on NATO members to send more weapons from their personal stockpiles to Ukraine.
He expressed these views today during a speech at a press conference at the NATO headquarters in Brussels.
He said that at the request of Ukraine, a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council was also called for Friday.
He said that in addition to NATO member states agreeing to a minimum of 2 percent of their defense budgets, 32 NATO member states also agreed to purchase and stockpile military equipment.
Stoltenberg said it was the “right decision” to give Ukraine more, even if it meant NATO’s own stockpile no longer met its obligations.
Stoltenberg said. “The reality is that supporting Ukraine and helping to disable Russian warheads also strengthens our own security.”
The NATO chief said the request is aimed at satisfying Ukraine’s need for more air defense systems and artillery shells. The NATO-Ukraine Council has the same goal.
He said that the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and the defense ministers of 32 NATO member countries will participate in the Friday meeting. It is not yet clear whether the meeting will be physical or a video conference.
It should be remembered that Zelenskyi had already clearly said that he wanted an early meeting of the NATO-Ukraine advisory body.
In a video message on Tuesday evening, he emphasized that the people of Ukraine deserve better protection.
In his message, he was referring to Israel’s anti-aircraft defenses, which repelled an Iranian attack last weekend. It should also be remembered that Russia uses Iranian-made drones to bomb Ukraine.
