Brussels, Dec 4 (EFE).- NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday said that delivering air defense systems to Ukraine was “a priority,” following Kyiv’s appeal for additional systems to protect its energy infrastructure from Russian attacks.
“We try to do everything we can to help Ukraine in making sure they can fight back. We have to make sure that whatever air defense we can give them is being supplied to Ukraine,” Rutte told reporters ahead of a NATO foreign ministers meeting in Brussels.
Rutte said that the matter was discussed during the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting on Tuesday evening, where Ukrainian foreign minister Andrii Sybiha requested 19 additional air defense systems to protect critical energy facilities from Russian bombardment.
“In the world, we do not have a sort of overflow of supply of air defense systems, so that means that you always have to make sure that you prioritize,” Rutte said.
“But there was a clear agreement on the table last night that to help Ukraine, particularly with this infrastructure, has to be a priority. I’m confident that Allies will follow up in (the) coming days and weeks in making sure that whatever they can supply to Ukraine will be supplied.”
Rutte added that NATO allies are committed to ensuring Ukraine has the necessary air defenses to “protect its critical energy infrastructure” against Russia’s “full onslaught.”
Rutte accused Russia of weaponizing winter by targeting Ukrainian energy facilities to bring further pressure on Ukraine.
“Now there is a specific need on the energy infrastructure, because what Russia is trying to do is to weaponize winter again in this fight against Ukraine,” he said.
The discussions also addressed how NATO can support Ukraine to get to “a position of strength so that then (it) can start talks about its future in the region.”
Rutte accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of broadening the Ukraine conflict by involving North Korea and increasing reliance on support from China and Iran.
NATO allies, he said, are evaluating effective ways to counter Russia’s ongoing “hostile actions” against NATO nations and respond to the widening scope of the war. EFE
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