The NATO Secretary-General, Jens Stoltenberg, expressed that Ukraine must continue to receive necessary support in order to defend itself against Russia’s aggression. Otherwise, the U.S., Europe, and other regions may become more susceptible if Russian President Vladimir Putin succeeds in his goals concerning Ukraine.

According to Stoltenberg, this situation could also encourage other authoritarian governments in different regions to take advantage and seize land.

In an interview with Fox News Sunday, Stoltenberg stated that NATO’s reaction to Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is being closely observed by Beijing. He also warned, “If we don’t act now with Ukraine, it could be Taiwan next.”

On Sunday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed concern about the potential decrease in aid from the United States to Kyiv, stating that it would send a negative message. This decrease has been attributed to opposition from Republicans in the U.S. Congress, which has hindered President Joe Biden’s efforts to provide additional support.

In light of the possibility of reduced U.S. assistance, Zelenskyy encouraged Germany to leverage its economic influence to unite EU allies in providing additional support to Kyiv in its conflict with Russia.

He informed German national broadcaster ARD that if the United States were passive or did not offer support, it would send a negative message.

When asked about the potential reaction from the leaders of Beijing and Moscow to NATO’s 2024 military exercises, which are the largest since WWII, Stoltenberg, the head of NATO, stated that the purpose of the North Atlantic Alliance is to prevent war, not to incite it.

NATO exercises

Around 90,000 NATO troops will participate in Operation Steadfast Defender 24, conducting various exercises throughout Europe in the upcoming months. The operation will also involve 50 naval ships, 80 aircraft, and over 1,100 combat vehicles.

The 31-nation alliance stated that the exercises will demonstrate NATO’s capability to carry out and maintain intricate, multidomain operations for extended periods of time, spanning thousands of kilometers from the northern regions to central and eastern Europe, under any circumstances.

This week, Stoltenberg is holding discussions with key American defense leaders and legislators in order to advocate for the continued funding of Ukraine. However, this effort is currently facing obstacles in Congress due to a disagreement over U.S. border policies and other political matters.

The issue of Ukraine’s aid continues to cause disagreement, as critics question the effectiveness of Kyiv’s efforts to combat corruption.

The SBU, Ukraine’s security service, reported on Saturday that workers from a Ukrainian weapons company worked together with government officials to steal approximately $40 million that was meant to be used for purchasing mortar shells for the war against Russia.

According to the agency, five individuals have been accused and one has been arrested while attempting to depart the country. The five may potentially receive a sentence of 12 years in prison.

The prosecutor general of the country stated that the money has been confiscated and will be given back to the Ukrainian defense budget.

View the corresponding update from journalist Arash Arabasadi.

On Sunday, a Russian missile hit an industrial facility in the central district of Kremenchuk, Ukraine.

“Illegal forces have once again launched an assault on the Poltava region for the second consecutive day,” stated Filip Pronin, the governor of Poltava. He also mentioned that the attack was focused on the Kremenchuk district.

Pronin subsequently reported that there were no injuries.

On Saturday, a missile strike occurred at an industrial facility in the vicinity, causing a fire. Fortunately, there were no injuries reported as a result of this event.

According to the daily intelligence report from Britain’s Defense Ministry on Ukraine, there has been a significant increase in arson attacks on Russia’s military enlistment offices over the past six months.

The Russian government has accused individuals of setting fires under the influence of Western officials. In contrast, the British ministry believes that the recent attacks on enlistment offices are a result of growing dissatisfaction with the war among the Russian population, particularly among those facing potential conscription in a second wave of mobilization.

The British ministry has charged the suspects accused of initiating the fiery attacks with terrorism and treason.

During his yearly news conference last month, Putin assured that there would be no further mobilizations. However, the British ministry stated that the increasing number of arson attacks on Russian enlistment offices implies a lack of trust in this promise.

Plane crash POWs

According to authorities in Ukraine, Russia has not presented any reliable proof to back up their allegations that Ukrainian troops were responsible for shooting down a military transport aircraft that reportedly had 65 Ukrainian prisoners of war on board. The prisoners were supposedly going to be exchanged for Russian POWs.

The Ukrainian team in charge of managing prisoners of war stated that the family members of the mentioned POWs were not able to recognize their loved ones in the pictures of the crash site given by Russian officials.

The leader of Ukraine’s military intelligence department stated on Friday that there was no confirmed data regarding the individuals on board the Russian aircraft.

The Moscow government reports that nine Russian citizens lost their lives in the accident.

Ukraine disagrees with Russia’s claim that they were informed beforehand about a plane carrying Ukrainian prisoners of war flying over Russia’s Belgorod region in the southwest.

At the United Nations Security Council, a representative from Ukraine reiterated their request for a global inquiry, stating that the Russian military hindered emergency personnel from reaching the site of the crash.

This report was contributed to by Henry Ridgwell in London, with additional material sourced from The Associated Press, Agence France-Presse, and Reuters.

Source: voanews.com