The defense alliance NATO expects more Russian attacks on Ukraine in the coming months. Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said before a meeting of foreign ministers in the Romanian capital Bucharest on Tuesday that President Vladimir Putin “wants to use winter as a weapon of war”. He therefore urged member states to make further commitments for civilian and military aid.
“Since President Putin’s ruthless invasion of Ukraine, we have seen President Putin fail in Ukraine. He reacts with even more brutality, attacking gas infrastructure and power lines and trying to take water, electricity, light and heating from the Ukrainians,” Stoltenberg said. “That is why we must support Ukraine, because we see President Putin trying to use winter as a weapon of war,” said the NATO chief (see video above).
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed similar fears in early November. Russia clearly intends to take advantage of the coming winter. “We understand very well: turning winter into a weapon is the plan of a terrorist state against our state and against the whole of Europe,” Zelensky said at the time.
Promotes additional anti-aircraft defenses for Kiev
Stoltenberg campaigned for the supply of additional anti-aircraft systems to Ukraine at the meeting. He began talks with NATO foreign ministers and said he expected the Allies’ message to do more. It is about helping Ukraine restore destroyed infrastructure such as electricity and gas networks, as well as more air defense systems.
Stoltenberg had already made it clear on Friday that the supply of German Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine would not be taboo for him. Berlin had previously offered Patriot-type air defense systems from Poland to secure Polish airspace. Warsaw then proposed moving directly to neighboring Ukraine.
“NATO will not run out of tanks”
According to Lithuania, NATO has enough tanks that it could leave to Ukraine. “NATO is not short of tanks,” Lithuanian Foreign Minister Gabrielius Landsbergis said ahead of the meeting in Bucharest. “So if we increase the supply of tanks sent to Ukraine, NATO has a chance to keep supplies going.”
At the NATO meeting, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock described Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine as a “break in civilization”. “We are brutally witnessing that the Russian president is now using cold as a weapon of war – a brutal break not only with international law, but also with our civilization,” she said.
The bombing of infrastructure means that families with young children have to live in freezing temperatures without electricity, water and heat. Baerbock warned Ukrainian families could freeze to death. “Russian terror starts 250 kilometers from here,” Germany’s foreign minister said in Bucharest.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
