NATO has 'no alternative' but to support Ukraine, says Czech president

By Agnes Szucs

BRUSSELS (AA) – NATO countries have no choice other than supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia since not doing so would mean victory for Moscow, the Czech Republic's president said on Wednesday.

There is "no alternative to supporting Ukraine because the alternative to it is the success of Russia," Petr Pavel said at a joint news conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

After talks at the alliance headquarters in Brussels the two discussed Prague's contribution to NATO and the security challenges involved in the war in Ukraine, along with China's more assertive foreign policy.

Paval said his country would meet NATO's defense spending target of 2% of gross national product next year and revealed that they were ready for "discussions on spending more if necessary if linked to capabilities."

NATO leaders are expected to adopt a more ambitious defense investment target at their upcoming July summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Pavel acknowledged that public opinion in NATO countries had started to tire of the news on the Russia-Ukraine war, but noted that it was the duty of politicians to maintain support for Kyiv.

For his part, Stoltenberg said "the will in Europe to continue supporting Ukraine is enormous," adding that it was a moral duty and a security interest for NATO countries.

He said he believed people care when they see that "civilians are killed, that women are raped, and that children are forcibly abducted, taken away from the parents."