NATO reiterates Ukraine’s future in Euro-Atlantic family

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) - NATO on Friday reiterated that Ukraine’s future in Europe is in the Euro-Atlantic family.

Remarking that all NATO allies agree that Ukraine will eventually become a part of the alliance, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg added that the main focus is ensuring Ukrainian victory.

“The main focus now is on ensuring that President Putin does not win the war, that Ukraine prevails, because without a sovereign, independent Ukraine, there is no meaning in discussing membership,” he said in remarks at Ramstein Air Base in Germany before a Ukraine Defense Contact Group meeting.

On his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Thursday in Kyiv, Stoltenberg said they discussed transferring modern weapons, including anti-tank missiles, air-defense missiles, tanks, and fighter jets, to Ukraine.

“We continue to stand by Ukraine as they continue to repel the Russian aggression against their country,” he said.

Stoltenberg said an announcement by the NATO allies on additional support and help sustaining Western-made weapons for Ukraine is among the likely outcomes of the meeting.

“We need to constantly assess, constantly consult. But again, not only about new platforms but also sustaining all the platforms we have,” he said.​​​​​​​