NATO chief urges continued support to Ukraine

Secretary-General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg affirmed on Thursday the need of continued support to Ukraine in its war against Russia. Speaking at an event hosted by the German Marshall Fund on Thursday, Stoltenberg shared five key lessons for NATO's continued success following a decisive decade at the helm of NATO. As part of his farewell speech, Stoltenberg underlined the importance of continuing to increase defence spending and ensuring robust economic relations among Allies. He highlighted NATO's steadfast support for Ukraine and how crucial this will be in helping to bring an end to Russia's war. Reflecting on NATO's experience in Afghanistan, the Secretary General also underlined the need to clearly define the objectives of any future military operations beyond NATO's borders. Stoltenberg concluded his speech by emphasising the importance of the transatlantic bond between Europe and North America, highlighting that "investing in the transatlantic relationship is the only winning way forward". He said at the last count, 23 of NATO's 32 countries were set this year to reach the alliance's target of spending two percent of their gross domestic product on defense set back in 2014. He went to say "the good news is that we have delivered on the pledge we made ten years ago," Stoltenberg will say. But the bad news is that this is no longer enough to keep us safe." Source: Kuwait News Agency