NATO, EU and Ukraine agreed to increase the production of weapons to help Kyiv in military operations

NATO will help Ukraine create its own arms procurement system that will be “effective” in the face of a Russian invasion, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

In addition, NATO, Ukraine and the European Union have agreed to convene a group of arms procurement experts to see how they can help Kiev “ensure that it gets the weapons it needs,” Stoltenberg said.

The NATO chief met Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Josep Borrell just days before the first anniversary of the Russian invasion and at a time when Kiev is asking its allies to supply more long-range weapons.

“We must be aware of the fact that since February 2022, Ukraine and its closest partners have been conducting the largest logistics operation since the Second World War, and there are millions of issues behind big political decisions and declarations that need to be addressed. decide,” Kuleba said.

He added that the more coordination between NATO, Ukraine and the EU, the faster the Ukrainian army will be able to push the Russian army out of its territory.

Stoltenberg ‘worried’ about Chinese interference

Meanwhile, Stoltenberg expressed concern about the prospect of China supporting Russia’s war effort with arms supplies. The issue was originally raised by US President Joe Biden earlier this week.

“We are also increasingly concerned that China may be planning to provide deadly support for Russia’s war,” Stoltenberg said. “Putin should not win, this would show that aggression works and strength is rewarded. It will be dangerous for our own security and for the whole world.”

Borrell asks for more financial donations

Regarding EU support, Borrell said he favors the use of the European Peace Fund, which the EU-27 has used for this purpose since the start of the war. He also asked Member States to consider contributing additional funds beyond the collective fund.

IN Foreign Affairs Council On Monday, EU foreign ministers discussed Estonia’s plan to jointly purchase ammunition worth 4 billion euros.