NATO Secretary General: Ukraine’s most urgent need is more air defence
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg participated in a meeting of the Foreign Affairs Council of the European Union with EU Defence Ministers on Tuesday (28 May 2024) to discuss continued support to Ukraine and the need to increase defence production.
“NATO and the European Union have worked very closely together to provide unprecedented military, economic, and financial support to Ukraine,” Mr Stoltenberg said. He emphasised the need to step up the delivery of “ammunition, air defence systems, and in particular the most advanced ones, the Patriot systems.”
Ahead of Washington Summit, NATO is working on plans to further coordinate the provision of equipment and training, underpinned by a financial pledge. Mr Stoltenberg underlined the need to “prevent gaps and delays as we have seen recently,” and the importance of providing “predictable, accountable support for the long haul,” so that Ukraine can prevail as a sovereign, independent nation.
Mr Stoltenberg added that NATO is “working closely with the transatlantic defence industrial base to ramp up production,” both to support Ukraine and for Allies’ own stocks.