On Wednesday 12 October, NATO Defence Ministers will discuss further support for Ukraine, first in the Contact Group - which brings together more than 50 countries in total - and then in their Ministerial Council.
“We will intensify and maintain our support for Ukraine”, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned on Tuesday 11 October. “Together, we will meet Ukraine’s urgent needs”, he said. He said Ukraine was in “urgent need” of air defence systems. Mr Stoltenberg also mentioned armed vehicles, anti-tank systems, artillery, ammunition, but also non-lethal equipment such as winter gear, fuel and communication systems. Ukrainian Defence Minister Oleksii Reznikov will join the meeting to share his needs with his counterparts.
Allied Ministers will also review progress in strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defence. In connection with the conflict in Ukraine, they will take decisions to increase Allied stocks of ammunition and equipment, speed up deliveries and use the NATO defence planning process to provide industry with the long-term demand it needs to boost production. As the war in Ukraine continues and the Allies send some of their weapons to help the country, Mr Stoltenberg said it was all the more important to replan stocks and discuss ways of increasing them.
The Allies will also revisit the protection of critical infrastructure, in light of the sabotage of the Nord Stream gas pipelines. “NATO has been working on this issue for many years and after the sabotage of the Nord Stream pipelines, we have further increased our vigilance in all areas”, Stoltenberg said, adding that the Alliance had doubled its presence in the Baltic and North Seas with over 30 ships supported by maritime patrol aircraft and underwater capabilities.
“We will take further steps to strengthen our resilience and protect our critical infrastructure. Any deliberate attack on Allies’ critical infrastructure would be met with a united and determined response”, added the NATO Secretary General.
On Thursday, the ministers will meet in a regular meeting of the Nuclear Planning Group. “The fundamental purpose of NATO’s nuclear deterrence has always been to preserve peace, prevent coercion and deter aggression”, Mr Stoltenberg said. He said that President Putin’s veiled nuclear threats were “dangerous and irresponsible”. “We are closely monitoring Russia’s nuclear forces. We have not seen any change in Russia’s position, but we remain vigilant”, he explained.
Mr Stoltenberg also noted that next week the Alliance would hold its deterrence exercise which was planned prior to the Russian invasion, called Steadfast Noon. “This is a routine training exercise that takes place every year, to keep our deterrent force safe, secure and effective”, he added. Asked about the relevance of the exercise at a time of tension with Russia, the Secretary General said that cancelling the long-planned exercise would send the wrong signal.
Finally, the Allies will discuss NATO’s missions and operations, including in Kosovo and Iraq.
Asked about rumours of an Alliance summit in the next few days, Mr Stoltenberg dismissed the idea, saying that a decision on a potential summit would be taken when the Alliance thought it was the right time to do so. (Original version in French by Camille-Cerise Gessant)