On Wednesday, 29 November, the NATO-Ukraine Council (NUC) met for the first time at the level of Foreign Ministers in Brussels, joined by Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s Foreign Minister. Key topics at this meeting included increasing the production of weapons and ammunition, the situation on the front lines of the Russo-Ukrainian War, and discussions on the steps needed for Ukraine’s accession to NATO. During the meeting, Jens Stoltenberg, NATO’s Secretary General, announced that an “ambitious work programme for the next year, covering energy security, innovation and interoperability, was approved”. Additionally, NATO provided recommendations regarding priority reforms in Ukraine.
In his official statement, Minister Dmytro Kuleba expressed gratitude to NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg for recognising Ukraine’s achievements on the battlefield. Kuleba emphasised that one of the key tasks in cooperation with the Alliance is the consolidation of defence industries and the increase in arms production.
“Ukraine’s victory is in the interest of not only our state but also of the entire Euro-Atlantic community. To ensure the resilience of defence industries, production must be increased, and we need to unite and work as a cohesive mechanism,” said Kuleba.
Stoltenberg also asserted that “Ukraine is closer to NATO than ever before,” adding that the Alliance intends to continue supporting Ukraine “on the path to membership”. He also emphasised that Russia’s goals in its war against Ukraine have not changed. “Russia is ready to sacrifice people; they are trying to shell Ukrainian infrastructure to leave Ukraine out in the freezing cold and fighting hunger”, he noted.
Stoltenberg also pointed out that Russia has become much weaker, falling into greater dependence on China. “Russia is now weaker politically, militarily and economically. Moscow is mortgaging its future to Beijing”, he said. “In military terms, Russia has lost a significant portion of its resources – 300,000 personnel killed, hundreds of aircraft, and several thousand tanks,” added the Alliance’s Secretary-General. “Economically, Russia is under significant pressure. Revenues from gas and oil are declining. Russian banks are under sanctions. More than a thousand foreign companies have reduced or halted their operations in the country, and 1,3 million people left Russia last year”. Stoltenberg concluded that “all of this underlines Putin’s strategic mistake in invading Ukraine”.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg also discussed the delivery of F-16 jets to Ukraine, saying he cannot provide an exact date for the delivery. However, he expressed hope that the deliveries would commence as soon as possible.
“I cannot give you an exact date, but I hope that the deliveries will start as soon as possible. However, what needs to be done is to train the pilots, and this process is ongoing. A centre has been established in Romania; the United States has also indicated that NATO allies are allowed to deliver F-16s to Ukraine,” said Stoltenberg.
He added that the F-16 jets would enhance Ukraine’s capability to inflict losses on Russian occupation forces and contribute to further strengthening Ukraine’s air defence. At the same time, he emphasised that the delivery of planes itself was not a magical solution to win the war. “I believe that we must now accept the fact that there is no ‘silver bullet’ that will radically change the situation on the battlefield. It’s a matter of complex capabilities and strategies, coordinating and pushing the Russians back”, stated the NATO Secretary-General.
