Brussels, Oct 18 (EFE).- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said Friday that the Alliance is “significantly” increasing its support for Ukraine, a day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy officially revealed his Victory Plan against the Russian invasion.
“We are significantly stepping up our support for Ukraine so it can, one, defend against Russian aggression today, and two, deter against Russian threats in the future,” Rutte said in a speech on the second and final day of the Defense Ministers Session of the North Atlantic Council in Brussels.
On Thursday, the ministers held a NATO-Ukraine Council in the presence of Zelenskyy and his Defense Minister Rustem Umerov.
The Ukrainian president’s plan urgently calls for more weaponry and the elimination of restrictions on their use inside Russian territory, in order to redouble pressure on Moscow and force the Kremlin to negotiate.
Moreover, the plan also offers allies direct benefits from their alliance with Kyiv in both the economic and security fields in the longer term.
The “Victory Plan” also envisions a firm invitation to Ukraine to join NATO once the war is over.
Different allied ministers on Thursday expressed caution about Ukraine’s urgency to join NATO, but closed ranks with Kyiv so that it may be part of the Alliance in the future.
Canadian Defense Minister Bill Blair said Friday at the meeting that NATO allies had a very good conversation with Zelenskyy the previous day, in which he identified some of the points of the Victory Plan. EFE
rja-jug/sc