Defense chiefs from NATO, Ukraine hold meeting

By Agnes Szucs and Beyza Binnur Donmez

BRUSSELS/GENEVA (AA) – A meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission opened on Thursday with discussions by NATO defense ministers on further support for Kyiv amid the Russian war.

In his opening speech, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg called on the allies to “continue and increase the supply of military equipment, weapons and ammunition” to Ukraine as it has recently “launched a counter-offensive and is gaining ground” against Russia.

He said that NATO defense ministers and their Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov will discuss a multi-year support package for Ukraine to rebuild its “security and defense sector and to transition from Soviet to NATO standards.”

The package is expected to be adopted by NATO leaders at their summit in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius on July 11-12.

The NATO-Ukraine Commission will also address Ukraine’s accession to NATO, said Stoltenberg.

“Ukraine's future lies within the Euro-Atlantic family, and all allies agree that it will become a member of the alliance,” he added.

Earlier in the day, Stoltenberg called for more support for Ukraine, underlining that NATO’s support for Ukraine “makes a difference on the battlefield” as Kyiv is advancing with its counter-offensive.

Meanwhile, responding to reporters’ questions in Brussels, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said: "We all agree that the future of Ukraine lies in NATO. That’s totally clear."

"But there’s also general agreement that this cannot happen as long as there’s a war on Ukrainian territory," Pistorius said, adding that "right now, the main issue is the continuing support for Ukraine."