Saturday, November 27th, 2021
Ukraine conflict is coming to a head
NATO calls on Putin to give in
Russia’s troop deployment on the border with Ukraine is not a bluff in the eyes of NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg. In the event of further aggression, he threatens serious consequences. Stoltenberg assures Ukraine of support.
In the Ukraine conflict, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg called on Russia to give in. “I call on Russia to reduce and de-escalate tensions. When tensions are high, dialogue is even more important,” Stoltenberg told the newspaper “Welt am Sonntag” in view of the Russian troop deployment on the border with Ukraine.
“The Allies have made it clear that any further aggressive action on the part of Russia will have serious consequences,” said the NATO Secretary General. The military alliance is closely monitoring the situation. “We will continue to support Ukraine politically and practically so that the country can defend itself from aggression.”
He could not speculate about Russia’s intentions. “But we have seen that Russia has used violence against its neighbors before. So we cannot assume that this is just a bluff,” said the former Norwegian Prime Minister. Russia has now gathered thousands of soldiers on the Ukrainian border for the second time this year. “That includes military equipment like tanks, artillery and drones along with ground troops,” said Stoltenberg.
The situation in Ukraine will be the subject of a two-day NATO meeting in Latvia from Tuesday. The Alliance’s foreign ministers will meet in the capital, Riga, with the Ukrainian Foreign Minister, Dmitri Kuleba, among others. Stoltenberg and EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are expected in Latvia and Lithuania on Sunday.