PARIS: NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said he expected that “regardless of the outcome of the US elections”, Washington “will continue to be a committed NATO ally”. “It is in the security interest of the United States to have a strong NATO,” Stoltenberg noted. The NATO chief also said he “expects” the US Congress “to find a way to agree sustained support to Ukraine”. Further aid for Kyiv is currently stalled in the Republican-controlled US House of Representatives.
Almost exactly two years after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Norway’s intelligence service recently said it believes Moscow is gaining the advantage in the war. In a blow to Kyiv, Russia claimed this weekend that it had taken control of the city of Avdiivka after the withdrawal of Ukrainian troops.
“The situation on the battlefield is difficult and we have seen some Russian advances,” Stoltenberg conceded, speaking on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference (MSC). He went on: “Wars are unpredictable; they move in phases. But I continue to be extremely impressed by the courage and the bravery of the Ukrainian armed forces.” “Ukrainians have demonstrated that despite the difficulties, they have actually been able to push the Russians back from half of the territory that they occupied in the beginning,” Stoltenberg added. –Agencies
