key point
- Stoltenberg says he believes West will continue to support Kyiv
- NATO is strengthening its arms and ammunition stockpiles, he said
- Putin warned Wednesday that he will use “all available weapons” to win the war
NATO’s security minister on Wednesday slammed Russian President Vladimir Putin for threatening to use nuclear weapons after a setback in the Ukraine war.
said in an interview ReutersFormer Norwegian prime minister Jens Stoltenberg, now NATO director general, called Putin’s warning “dangerous and reckless”, adding that the war in Ukraine was unlikely to end anytime soon unless Russia recognized Ukraine as an independent state . Still, he said he believed the West would continue to support Kyiv.
“We are ready for a tough winter. Winter is coming and it will be tough for all of us. But the answer is not to step down and stop supporting Ukraine. If anything, the answer is to stand up and walk more Support Ukraine from afar,” Stoltenberg said.
He further said that NATO is ready for a “prolonged” conflict, adding that the group is currently in talks with defense industry figures to increase its weapons and ammunition stockpiles.
“We’ve reduced a lot of inventory. We need to prepare inventory. That’s why we’re deeply involved in the industry now,” Stoltenberg said.
Putin warned on Wednesday that he would use “all available weapons” to win the war in Ukraine, which is approaching its seventh month mark.
“If the territorial unity of our country is threatened, in order to protect Russia and our country, we will use all the weapons we have without question. This is not bluff,” the Russian leader said in his national address, according to a transcribed transcript. Transcribe media area.
In addition to the threats, Putin announced a partial mobilization of reservists to strengthen and support Moscow’s forces in Ukraine. The order will mobilize up to 300,000 Russians with combat and service experience to fight the war.
In the hours following the announcement, protests took place across Russia. Demand and prices for one-way tickets from Moscow have also soared. For example, the fare from Moscow to Dubai costs as much as 560,000 rubles ($9,100).
