Ukraine must get long-term support, warns NATO chief
Western countries must be prepared to provide long-term support to Ukraine as Russia shows no signs of relenting, NATO's secretary general has said, BBC reports.
Jens Stoltenberg told the BBC that military support would ensure the survival of Ukraine as a sovereign country and force Russia to sit down and negotiate an end to the war. Russia's leader accuses the West of using Ukraine to destroy his country. Russian missiles and drones have hit Ukraine on New Year's Eve and Day. Russia's partial mobilisation programme, ordered in September, showed Moscow had no desire to end the war at present, Mr Stoltenberg told Radio 4's World at One programme. "The Ukrainian forces had the momentum for several months, but we also know that Russia has mobilised many more forces, many of them are now training," he said. "All that indicates that they are prepared to continue the war and also try to potentially launch a new offensive." Earlier, Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a New Year's speech, in which he tried to rally people behind his troops fighting in Ukraine, saying that the country's future was at stake. His Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky accused Mr Putin of hiding behind his troops rather than leading them.
