Later in the day, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and then gave a fresh update on the war between Russia and Ukraine. From the Atlantic Alliance, they are fully on the side of the government of Kyiv: “After yesterday’s meeting of defense ministers, a strong message came from all NATO allies, namely that we are ready to continue to serve Ukraine without prior support support. We are preparing – added Stoltenberg – for the NATO summit in Madrid, which will mean a big change for our security. We will make important decisions about how to strengthen our defenses in a more dangerous world. And we will grant an aid package to Ukraine”.
In the press conference concluding the Alliance Ministerial Summit, when asked about Pope Francis’ recent cease-fire appeals, Stoltenberg, without letting the Pope’s criticism get past, replied: “NATO is a defensive alliance and the war in Ukraine is wanted by Putin and what the What NATO has been doing for many years is supporting independent countries, and these are neither threats nor provocations.
