NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who arrived on Thursday with another surprise visit to Kyiv, said that Ukrainian troops are “little by little gaining ground” in the counteroffensive against the Russian army, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi praised his country’s accession to NATO. it is only a matter of time, according to Reuters and AFP. The Minister of Defense of France, who arrived with an important delegation of defense industrialists, and the Minister of Defense of Great Britain also on Thursday in Kyiv.
“Today your troops are advancing. They face tough battles, but gradually gain ground. Ukrainians are fighting for their families and their freedom, and Moscow is fighting for its imperialist illusions,” Stoltenberg said at a joint press conference with Zelensky.
What the head of NATO says about drone attacks on the border with Romania
Stoltenberg announced that NATO countries have so far concluded comprehensive framework contracts with arms companies worth 2.4 billion euros for major munitions, of which firm orders amount to one billion euros.
According to Stoltenberg, these contracts will allow NATO countries to replenish their stocks depleted by military aid provided to Ukraine, as well as to continue supplying the Ukrainian army with ammunition needed in the war with Russia.
The head of NATO condemned the attacks of Russian drones on the border of Ukraine with Romania. Stoltenberg said there was no evidence the drone attacks over the border were a deliberate attack on Romania, but he called them “reckless and destabilizing.”
For his part, Zelensky insisted that NATO countries provide Ukraine with more anti-aircraft systems, given the fear of new Russian bombing of Ukrainian energy infrastructure as winter approaches.
“Ukraine is now closer than ever to NATO”
The Ukrainian president was also convinced that his country would join NATO. “It is a matter of time when Ukraine will be a de jure member of the Alliance. We are doing everything to bring this moment as close as possible,” Zelenskyi said.
In turn, Stoltenberg said that “Ukraine is now closer to NATO than ever.”
The Ukrainian army continues the counteroffensive launched in June in the Zaporizhia and Donetsk regions in the south and east, trying to reach the Sea of Azov to isolate Russian forces from Crimea on land, while the Russian army advances. further north.
Despite some recent successes in Zaporizhzhia, the counteroffensive launched by Ukraine has not yet resulted in significant territorial gains. According to a September 19 assessment by Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for International Affairs, cited by Reuters, over the past month Russia has gained 35 square miles of Ukrainian territory and Ukraine has vacated 19 square miles of territory occupied by the Russian army. (Source: Agerpres)
Source: Hot News
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