Supply of more advanced weapons to Ukraine takes time – Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this during a press conference before the meeting of defense ministers of NATO member states in Brussels on Wednesday, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

"Of course, sometimes these efforts take time and that's exactly why it is important to have a meeting like we have today, both at the NATO ministerial level but also in the US-led contact group to meet with the Ukrainian representatives, to identify the challenges and the issues they would like to raise with us when it comes to how to speed up delivery of weapons. And of course, you also have to recognize that we now are delivering more long-range, more advanced air defense systems, more advanced artillery, more heavy weapons, more modern NATO standard weapons. Then sometimes it also will take some time to train, to ensure the necessary maintenance and the necessary support for these systems," Stoltenberg said.

He recalled that NATO allies had been helping to modernize Ukraine's Armed Forces since 2014 and had stepped up this assistance in the run-up to the Russian invasion, as this invasion was very well predicted by intelligence services.

"NATO leaders realize the urgency and that's also the reason why we have stepped up significantly over the last months since the invasion. […] That just highlights the importance of doing this in the best possible way, in the closest possible coordination with the Ukrainians. And also not only deliver, of course, weapons, but also a lot of non-lethal aid which is of critical importance: fuel, medical supplies, different types of protective gear, and many other types of supply, including, of course, training and support in NATO Allied countries," Stoltenberg said.