NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg chaired a virtual meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council at the level of defence ministers on Friday (19 April 2024), to address Ukraine's urgent need for air defences and other military aid. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy briefed Allies on the situation on the battlefield and Ukraine's urgent needs.
After the meeting, Mr Stoltenberg said that Allies had agreed to provide further military support, including more air defences: "NATO has mapped out existing capabilities across the Alliance and there are systems that could be made available to Ukraine," he said, adding that he expects new announcements on air defence capabilities for Ukraine soon. The ministers also addressed Ukraine's need for more artillery shells, deep precision strike capabilities, and drones.
Mr Stoltenberg welcomed the recent additional support from Allies to Ukraine, including Germany's decision to deliver an additional Patriot to Ukraine; an additional 4 billion euros in military support from the Netherlands; Czechia's ammunition initiative; and new pledges from Denmark and Norway. The Secretary General also welcomed plans by the US House of Representatives to schedule a vote on a critical aid package for Ukraine. "I count on the bill to pass without further delay," he said. He underscored that all Allies must "dig deep into their inventories and speed up the delivery of missiles, artillery and ammunition."
Mr Stoltenberg underlined that "Ukraine is using the weapons we provide to destroy Russian combat capabilities. This makes us all safer. So support to Ukraine is not charity. It is an investment in our security."
