NATO allies and partners have provided Ukraine with 1,550 armored vehicles and 230 tanks to help it create units and reclaim territory from Russian forces, according to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday.
According to Stoltenberg, the supplies since the beginning of the war in February last year constitute “more than 98 percent of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine.”
“In total we have trained and equipped more than nine new Ukrainian armoured brigades. This will put Ukraine in a strong position to continue to retake occupied territory,” he said.
NATO member countries have also provided anti-aircraft systems and artillery while Poland and the Czech Republic have given Soviet-built MiG-29 aircraft.
Thousands of Ukrainian soldiers have been trained on NATO weapons.
Stoltenberg emphasized the “unprecedented military assistance to Ukraine,” but warned that “we should never underestimate Russia.”
Moscow was increasing ground forces and was “willing to send in thousands of troops with very high casualty rates,” he claimed.
In the midst of what threatens to be a protracted battle, NATO members “must stay the course and continue to provide Ukraine with what it needs to prevail,” according to the alliance’s head.
Stoltenberg stated that a NATO summit in Lithuania in July would lay out preparations for a “multi-year programme of support” for Ukraine.
He also praised a phone contact between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, their first since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Beijing claims to be impartial in the Ukraine crisis, and Xi has never opposed Russia’s invasion.
Western nations have intensified pressure on China’s leader, who paid a cordial visit to Moscow last month, to intervene and mediate.
