NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg considered today that the Alliance’s summit in Vilnius “is already historic before it starts” and admitted that the supply of ammunition to Ukraine remains “a challenge”.
At a NATO public forum, before starting work on the meeting between heads of state and government taking place this Tuesday and Wednesday in the Lithuanian capital, Stoltenberg defended that the summit “is already historic before it starts”, referring to to the decision, on Monday, of the President of Turkey, who, he said, will send the protocol of Sweden’s accession to NATO as soon as possible, so that it can be ratified by the parliament.
Questioned about whether Turkey will exchange F-16 aircraft from the United States of America (USA), Stoltenberg replied that this is a decision of the Americans and said he welcomes any dialogue between Turkey and the USA, but that such a decision “is not part of the agreement” reached on Monday.
Stoltenberg was also asked about the controversy over the sending of cluster bombs by the US to Ukraine, starting by saying that “the supply of ammunition is a challenge”.
Until now, allied countries have bilaterally sent ammunition to Ukraine, but this is not sustainable in the long term, he argued, and production needs to be strengthened.
Specifically on the type of ammunition to send, Stoltenberg stressed that “it is a national decision of each of the allies”.
The NATO secretary general stated that cluster bombs have already been used in the conflict in Ukraine by both sides, but the difference is that Kiev uses this material to defend itself and Russia to invade another country.
Later, Jens Stoltenberg spoke to journalists again after a bilateral meeting with the President of South Korea, Yoon Suk-yeol. The secretary general of the Atlantic Alliance considered that “a lot happens in the Indo-Pacific that interests” NATO.
At the same time, Stoltenberg argued that the invasion of Ukraine “has global ramifications”, so the contact of the political-military alliance with Asian partners is of importance for “global security”.
