NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has arrived on an unannounced visit to Kiev. Local media published a photo of Stoltenberg, who honored the memory of the Ukrainian army who died in the fight against Russian aggression at the memorial in Mikhailovskaya Square. He also attended an impromptu display of damaged Russian military equipment.
The subjects of Stoltenberg’s negotiations with the Ukrainian leadership are not officially reported.
Shortly before the visit, the NATO Secretary General reiterated that the Alliance would continue to support Ukraine, despite threats from the Kremlin to use nuclear weapons. “Russia is a direct threat to our security,” said Jens Stoltenberg.
Previously, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that Kiev does not agree with any alternative proposal that does not lead to Ukraine’s direct NATO membership. Most of the Central and Eastern European countries that are members of this military-political union support Ukraine’s entry into it. Estonian Foreign Minister Margus Tsahkna has called for the adoption at the upcoming NATO summit in Vilnius in July of a specific action plan leading to Ukraine’s admission to the North Atlantic Alliance. Some Western European politicians are taking a more cautious stance.
Rejecting the prospect of Ukraine’s admission to NATO was one of the ultimatum demands Russia issued on the eve of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Also on Thursday, it became known that two NATO countries – Denmark and the Netherlands – will jointly transfer 14 German-made Leopard-2 tanks to Ukraine. This is written by the Danish edition DR.dk with reference to the Foreign and Defense Ministers of Denmark. At the same time, deliveries should take place only at the beginning of 2024. Until the end of this year, Denmark has promised to transfer about 80 old Leopard-1 tanks to Ukraine.
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