Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg affirmed the alliance's steadfast support for Ukraine during a meeting with Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustam Omerov in Brussels yesterday, Monday. According to a statement issued at the NATO headquarters in the Belgian capital
The Secretary-General and Minister Umarov discussed the latest developments on the battlefield and Ukraine's urgent military needs. With winter expected to complicate the fighting, Stoltenberg stressed that the allies are committed to increasing political and practical support for Ukraine as it defends itself against the Russian invasion. The Secretary-General reiterated that NATO will provide long-term support to Ukraine to make Ukrainian forces fully operational within NATO and bring them closer to the Alliance.
Secretary General Stoltenberg and Minister Umarov also discussed Ukraine's path to NATO membership and Ukraine's reform efforts. Stoltenberg reiterated that Ukraine will become a member of NATO when all allies agree and when conditions are met.
Yesterday's talks followed a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council at the level of foreign ministers last Wednesday (November 29, 2023). Stoltenberg previously met with Minister Omerov in Kiev in September, and during a meeting of NATO defense ministers in October.