NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken held a joint meeting briefing at NATO headquarters on Friday (September 9, 2022) after the North Atlantic Council meeting.
Stoltenberg emphasized the unprecedented military, financial and humanitarian assistance from NATO allies to Ukraine.
"Yesterday I participated in the contact group on the defense of Ukraine led by the US in Ramstein. We all agreed on the importance of strengthening our military support for Ukraine."
The Secretary General noted that the war in Ukraine is entering a critical phase: "In the coming months, our unity and solidarity will be tested. With the pressure on energy supplies and the skyrocketing cost of living caused by the Russian war. But the price we pay is measured in money. Whereas the price paid by Ukrainians is measured in lives. Lives lost, every day. And we will all pay a much higher price if Russia and other authoritarian regimes see that their aggression is possible. If Russia stops fighting, there will be peace. If Ukraine stops fighting, it will cease to exist as an independent state. So we have to stay the course - for the sake of Ukraine and for our sake."
In turn, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said, that the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin wanted to achieve success in several directions at once, but today it is already clear that he "lost every bet he made."
"Putin expected that the war would give him a political gain after the victory over Ukraine, would show the superiority and quality of his army and would not lead to significant economic losses. But all his bets were beaten," said Blinken.
The US Secretary of State also noted that Russia uses energy carriers to "break the will" of European countries.
"Putin is betting that his actions will break the will of European countries in supporting Ukraine, the Kremlin wants to force other countries to obey," Blinken said during a speech at NATO headquarters, "the United States will help European countries that will face exorbitant costs for heating during the winter, we will not leave our European friends behind. Europe will become stronger if it becomes less dependent on Russian energy sources."
