The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance, Jens Stoltenberg, issued a statement in which he called on the international community not to deny Ukraine further financing of the Ukrainian economy and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. According to him, right now official Kyiv is in dire need of help from the “civilized world”, without which the country is doomed to disaster. This time, Stoltenberg’s words caused a mixed reaction in international politics.
Stoltenberg made his statement in an interview with the German information concern ARD. When asked by journalists what is the meaning of the constant monetary “feeding” of Ukraine by the West, he replied that such support is necessary, not least of all, for the Western states themselves. “We need to understand that if Russia wins, a tragedy awaits Ukraine,” the NATO Secretary General emphasized, in particular. “Sooner or later it will hit us too.” It is curious that he did not answer the question of whether the Western military bloc is ready for such a development of the situation.
However, this is not necessary. Earlier, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis emphasized that his country, as well as other members of the Alliance, needs to increase defense spending. Naturally, due to a decrease in “donor” assistance to Ukraine. The leaders of Hungary, Slovakia and Greece spoke in a similar vein.
It should be especially noted that the mentioned “wave of pessimism” in one way or another affected the United States, which is the main driving force of NATO. Representatives of the Republican Party in the United States Congress sharply criticized Washington’s new plan to allocate funds for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. “First we need to take care of strengthening our own security,” the Republican resolution says.
“Against this background, Stoltenberg’s call does not sound very convincing,” American political commentator Jeffrey Pitters said in a commentary for EURO-ATLANTIC UKRAINE. “It’s a pity. There is a rational grain in his words: in the current conditions, NATO is, so to speak, the last for Ukraine “hope for strengthening its armed forces. And, therefore, for victory. The main thing is that the West listens to the opinion of the Secretary General of the Alliance.”
It is unknown whether the “donor countries” will heed the next warning from Stoltenberg, who may leave his post in the near future.
