Kiev's pressure on NATO - gathered today in Brussels on the day of the three summits, Military Alliance, G7, Europe - to send other weapons to fight the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
President Volodymyr Zelensky, who spoke on video link, asked the Allies for "unrestricted" aid and part of their 20,000 tanks: "You have at least 20,000 tanks. Ukraine has demanded one percent of all your tanks. Give them to us or sell them to us. But we don't have a clear answer ", he said again, explaining that the means" serve to unlock our cities, where Russia holds hundreds of thousands of people hostage, artificially creating hunger, literally destroying residential neighborhoods in the ashes ". He then returned to denounce the use of phosphorus bombs by Moscow troops, as happens in the Lugansk region.
NUCLEAR WEAPONS - Chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear threats are forcing the Allies to "prepare" for worst-case scenarios: "We will respond to Moscow's use of chemical weapons, NATO will respond", the president said at a press conference Joe Biden, adding that Russia should be removed from the G20. Very harsh words also from the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson: the possible use of chemical weapons by Russia would unleash a wave of "visceral horror" among the leaders of the world and would have "catastrophic consequences" for Vladimir Putin himself.
"We are concerned," said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, "because we see that Russia is trying to create some kind of pretext by accusing Ukraine, the US and NATO allies of preparing to use chemical and biological weapons: accusing others is an excuse to do the same themselves ". "The allegations against Ukraine are absolutely false and any use of chemical weapons totally changes the nature of the conflict" and "will have wide-spread consequences," he added.
L'ARSENALE - During the summit, a further shipment of weapons to Ukraine was also arranged: "The allies today decided to provide more assistance to Ukraine, including from a military point of view. These include anti-tank weapons , anti-missile defenses and drones, which have proved very effective. The allies will then assist Ukraine with financial and humanitarian aid ", explained Stoltenberg.
Support from US President Joe Biden who, however, also puts air defense systems on the table: "We are committed to identifying additional equipment to help Ukraine".
Mario Draghi also confirms the "commitment" made with the Atlantic Alliance on the resources to invest in defense, announces firmness on the sanctions against Russia, but immediately afterwards stresses the need to "absolutely and desperately seek peace. Italy, like others. European countries, it moves along these two tracks ", explains the Prime Minister.
Among the speeches that of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who told reporters: “NATO is not just a geographical alliance, but an alliance of values: we believe in democracy, the rule of law and the values that support our societies. Vladimir Putin made a mistake and we have demonstrated it with our unity: this brutal invasion of a peaceful country is unacceptable and NATO supports the Ukrainians in their struggle ".
STOLTENBERG "RENEWED" - In times of war, the number one of NATO cannot be changed, which is why Jens Stoltenberg will remain at the helm of the Atlantic Alliance until 30 September 2023. The decision to extend the mandate of the former premier for the second time Norwegian was taken by the extraordinary NATO summit.
Confirming the rumors that had been circulating for a few days, the summit of the 30 heads of state and government therefore preferred, in the face of what Stoltenberg himself defined as "the most serious crisis in a generation", to avoid the " trauma ”of the succession at the helm of the largest and most powerful military alliance in the world. The choice of the successor of the current secretary general was scheduled for next June, that is, when the annual Alliance summit was scheduled in Madrid.
(Unioneonline / ss-D)