By Janet Ekstract ISTANBUL- On Wednesday, National Security Advisers from all NATO allies including Sweden as a guest, met in Brussels to discuss preparations for the NATO Summit in Washington D.C. in July. Agenda priorities included strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense, consistent support for Ukraine and increasing challenges from China. In a joint press conference, U.S. National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed their views about the current challenges for Europe and America related to these priorities. Stoltenberg reiterated that “Ukraine matters for Europe’s and America’s security,” and he said that he saw Congressional leaders on both sides in the U.S. express support for Ukraine. He added: “It’s vital that the United States Congress agrees on support for Ukraine in the future.” Meanwhile, Sullivan commented that NATO allies have shown “tangible support” for Ukraine and that NATO will celebrate its 75th anniversary at the summit in Washington with a “bigger, stronger and more united than ever” NATO.
Stoltenberg stressed that during the July summit, “We will demonstrate we are delivering on new defense plans, investing in new capabilities and planning new transatlantic missile bases.” He added: “The world has become more dangerous but NATO must become stronger,” and reminded everyone that “We can never take peace for granted. He added that currently “we do not see any imminent threats against NATO.” The secretary-general warned that Moscow mustn’t miscalculate “our ability to protect our allies.” Stoltenberg raised concerns about Russia’s bolstered cooperation with Russia and North Korea while condemning Iran’s “destabilizing support for terror groups attacking allied forces.” The NATO chief said “Iran must reign in its proxies.”
Sullivan pointed out: “We’re focused on passing a bipartisan support package for Ukraine” in Congress and that he’s hopeful the bill and a said “that at the end of the day, the United States has to step up to the plate.” Then he reiterated: “As Allies, we’re committing to Ukraine’s long-term deterrent capacity” and said there were “good discussions” on the types of support that can be provided to Ukraine. He added: “We look forward to seeing Allies provide 2 percent for defense” and the critical thing now is the “need to energize our production critical capabilities,” as well as the types of capabilities. Sullivan highlighted that “NATO has to stay on the cutting edge” of technology in new defense capability with intensified work on cyber-security, economic security and nuclear capabilities with other allies. Referring to Sweden becoming a member of NATO, Sullivan added: “We very much look forward to welcoming Sweden into the alliance very soon. To that end, Stoltenberg said “I spoke with Prime Minister Orban and he made it very clear he strongly supports the alliance,” adding that the Hungarian Parliament will reconvene at the end of February and they will make a decision on Sweden then. Both Stoltenberg and Sullivan expressed their confidence in Ukrainian President Zelensky’s decision to sack his general. They reiterated that it’s a “sovereign decision” and solely up to Ukraine to make their own decisions about such matters. In terms of European support for Ukraine, Sullivan commented: “The total European support on the defense side has been robust and far more than anyone expected.” He said that major limitations were about “defense industrial base issues” which are being ironed out. While Stoltenberg said: “We address what each and every ally can do.”
On the defense end, the NATO chief emphasized that a major goal is for Ukraine to be able to have the capacity to produce its own weapons. To that end, he said that Turkiye had been instrumental in providing drones to Ukraine that he said “have played an important role throughout” the war and that Turkiye provided the drones “before the invasion” by Russia. Currently, a Turkish drone factory is being built in Ukraine, Stoltenberg explained and that means “investing and ramping up capacity to produce their own weapons.” Sullivan expressed: “We have confidence that we have all the tools necessary to do this, now it’s a matter of getting all of this integrated.” He added: “We have consistently made the case about why standing up and supporting Ukraine” is crucial, adding that “The vast majority of American people see the merit in that.”
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