Ukraine proves Russia can be beaten on battlefield - Stoltenberg

This was stated by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in Brussels during a joint address to the media with Polish President Andrzej Duda on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of Poland's accession to NATO, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"With courage and creativity, Ukraine has shown that Russia’s military can be beaten (on the battlefield - ed.). Russia is paying a very high price for marginal gains. On land, Putin's war has already cost Russia over 350,000 military casualties. At sea, Ukrainian attacks sank or disabled a significant part of Russia’s Black Sea Fleet. In the air, Ukraine is shooting down key Russian assets, including high-value surveillance aircraft," said Jens Stoltenberg.

At the same time, he noted that, despite heavy losses, the Russian invasion force has been suffering, Putin has not scaled back his war aims. The situation remains difficult, as Ukraine is in a dire need of ammunition.

"Every day of delay in the U.S. Congress translates into real effects on the battlefield. This morning I released our latest polling across the Alliance. It shows that two-thirds of citizens on both sides of the Atlantic want their countries to continue supporting Ukraine. We also know that a large majority in Congress favor continued support. Now we need to see this public and political support expressed in a vote as soon as possible," the NATO Secretary General stressed.

The head of the Alliance thanked Poland, which since the outset of Russian aggression was among the nations that supported Ukraine the most, provided weapons and welcomed more than a million displaced Ukrainians.

Jens Stoltenberg noted that, since joining NATO 25 years ago, Poland has become a key ally and security provider. It is building one of the largest armies in NATO, spending around 4 percent of GDP on defense, and has acquired powerful defense capabilities, including F-35 aircraft, HIMARS systems, and helicopters. Currently, more than 10,000 allied troops are based in Poland. In the summer of 2024, a U.S. missile defense site will be set up in Poland, after which the country will join NATO’s missile shield.

"NATO's open doors helped spread freedom and democracy in Europe. (…) We will continue to reinforce our Alliance, and at our summit in July, we will take further steps to strengthen NATO, support Ukraine, and deepen partnerships around the world," the head of the Alliance said.

As reported earlier, since the outset of Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, the Allies have been providing Ukraine with significant economic, financial, and military assistance, supplying equipment and weapons, and training Ukrainian recruits. The main goal of the effort is to help Ukraine in its fight against the Russian invasion, as well as to achieve Ukraine’s full interoperability with the allied forces on the way to nation’s full membership in NATO.