NATO backing Ukraine won't make alliance 'a party to the conflict’: Stoltenberg

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday that the alliance’s support for Kyiv will not make it a party to the conflict in Ukraine.

Speaking at a press briefing on the sidelines of the NATO leaders’ summit in Washington, D.C., Stoltenberg said allies agreed to strengthen transatlantic defense, step up industrial cooperation and enhance air and missile defenses.

"We will also provide support for the long-term development of Ukraine's armed forces. This will not make NATO a party to the conflict, but it will help Ukraine uphold its right to self-defense," he said.

He noted that NATO leaders will meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday at a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council.

Stoltenberg said that NATO members agreed to a financial pledge to help Ukraine build a force capable of defeating Russian aggression today and deterring it tomorrow.

Earlier, the alliance announced that Ukraine will receive €40 billion ($43 billion).

"We are not doing this because we want to prolong a war. We are doing this because we want to end the war as soon as possible. The quickest way to end the war is to lose the war. But that will not bring peace. It will only bring occupation," said Stoltenberg.

"So unless we want Ukraine to lose, unless we want to bow to (Russian President Vladimir) Putin, we need to show commitment and resolve. The more credible and enduring our support, the quicker Moscow will realize it cannot wait us out, and the sooner the war can end," he added.

Earlier, a NATO communique described Ukraine's path to joining the 32-member transatlantic alliance as "irreversible" and further urged China to end its assistance for Russia’s war against its eastern European neighbor.

Regarding Beijing's support for Moscow, Stoltenberg called China a "decisive enabler" of Russian's war in Ukraine.

"China's support increases the threat Russia poses to Euro-Atlantic security. Allies have stated clearly that China cannot enable the largest conflict in Europe in recent history without this negatively impacting its reputation," said Stoltenberg.