Photo: archive, BGNES
Russian President Vladimir Putin has launched an imperial war of conquest against Ukraine that continues to deepen. He thought he could destroy Ukraine and bring division among us, he underestimated the determination of Ukrainians to protect their homeland and our unity. This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at a joint press conference at the headquarters of the pact in Brussels with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Josep Borrell and the Foreign Minister of Ukraine Dmytro Kuleba, BTA correspondent Mykola Zhelyazkov reported.
A year after the start of this war, we see no signs that Putin is preparing for peace. As he stated today, he is preparing to continue the war. Putin should not win because that would mean that aggression wins and strength is rewarded. It will be dangerous for our security and for the whole world. Therefore, we must continue and increase support for Ukraine, urged Stoltenberg.
No one is attacking Russia, Russia is the attacker and Ukraine is the victim. A year ago, Putin launched an unjustified war against his peaceful neighbor. We support Ukraine’s right to self-defense enshrined in the UN Charter, the Secretary General added.
He expressed concern about the possibility of China providing arms to Russia.
Stoltenberg called on Moscow to return to the New START treaty after Putin announced earlier today that Russia was ending its participation in it. In recent years, Moscow has violated and withdrawn from key arms control agreements, Stoltenberg noted. Today’s decision breaks down the entire arms control system. I strongly urge Russia to reconsider and respect existing agreements, he added.
Borrell noted that in his talks with the Chinese side, he received assurances that Beijing would not supply Russian forces with weapons. Russia is destroying cities instead of taking a step back toward a ceasefire as we are calling for, he pointed out. Our support for Ukraine is necessary for the rule of law to defeat the rule of force and arms, he summarized.
Our goal is to end the war as soon as possible with a victory for Ukraine, this is inevitable, said Kuleba. He announced that he had a meeting with representatives of China in which Beijing’s peace plan was discussed. We are waiting to receive text to draw conclusions. Finding a way to peace remains our primary goal, Kuleba said. Ukraine and China share the vision of territorial integrity, so everything Beijing does regarding the war in Ukraine should be aimed at protecting Ukrainian territorial integrity, the Ukrainian foreign minister summed up.
