Ukraine is making progress on the battlefield, beating back Russia’s invasion and liberating its own territories from Russian occupation, albeit slowly, but surely, and it is even more important that its allies in the Alliance continue providing military support.NATO Deputy Secretary General Mircea Geoană stated this in his online address at the third International Summit of the Crimea Platform, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.
“We do not see any signs from President Putin that Russia is preparing for peace. Russian missiles continue to strike targets in Ukraine daily. But what we see is that Ukraine is making progress, beating back Russia’s invasion and liberating more territory. Slowly, but surely. So it is even more important that we continue providing military support to Ukraine. Because making you stronger on the battlefield is the best way to make you stronger at the negotiating table to achieve a just and lasting peace,” he said.
At the same time, the NATO Deputy Secretary General noted that it is for Ukraine to decide the terms of peace, and only Ukraine can decide when the prerequisites for peace negotiations are present. And NATO’s task, and the task of all the friends of Ukraine, is to continue to support Ukraine, Geoană said and reminded that Ukraine can count on NATO’s and Allies’ support for as long as it takes.
“In Vilnius, we also held the inaugural meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council. It was an honour to have President Zelensky join us for the occasion. Ukraine and NATO Allies are now meeting as equals, to hold crisis consultations, and jointly take decisions. NATO Allies also continue to make major new announcements of military support. The supply of F-16 fighter jets by the Netherlands and Denmark is the latest example, and a very significant one,” he said.
Geoană also thanked all the people of Ukraine “for their bravery, resilience and determination,” stressing that NATO’s support to Ukraine remains unwavering.
As reported, the third International Summit of the Crimea Platform is taking place in Kyiv today, August 23. It is dedicated to Ukraine’s vision for the future of temporarily occupied Crimea and security issues in the Black Sea region.
source ukrinform