NATO warns Russia not to touch allied infrastructure as G7 closes ranks with kyiv

This Tuesday there was a diplomatic conference to deal with issues related to the war in Ukraine.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg addressed some key issues on the Ukrainian conflict at a press conference. Stoltenberg referred to the integrity of the allies’ critical infrastructure and said that he will meet any action against it with a “united and determined” response.

The statements come in the context of the explosions in the Nordstream gas pipelines and in the last two days, Moscow has launched what the Russian local press calls “massive attacks” against facilities that provide vital services to Ukraine, mainly power plants. According to the leader of the alliance, “Russia is losing on the battlefield” so the “indiscriminate attacks” are a response to Ukraine’s advance on the ground.

Jens Stoltenberg also reported on the maneuvers that will take place next week as part of the nuclear deterrence concept. The exercises, called “Steadfast Noon” consist of the simulation of the use of weapons of this type found in Europe, added to training flights.

According to the leader of the group, “now is the right time to be firm and be clear that NATO is there to protect and defend all allies.” He added that this is an exercise planned for a long time, even before the invasion. to Ukraine.”

The practice will take place even though it may be seen by the Kremlin as an escalation. In Stoltenberg’s opinion, canceling them would be “a very wrong signal”, more so in the midst of insinuations about their use by the Russian counterpart.

“President Putin’s veiled nuclear threats are dangerous and irresponsible. Russia knows that a nuclear war cannot be won and should never be fought. We are closely monitoring Russia’s nuclear forces. We haven’t seen any change in Russia’s stance, but we remain vigilant,” he noted.

According to the secretary general, NATO’s military force is the best way to prevent any escalation.

The G7 closes ranks with Ukraine

The seven most powerful nations on the planet described the attacks against “innocent civilians”, the infrastructure and several Ukrainian cities by Russia as a war crime.

In a meeting held by video conference, the leaders of France, the United States, Japan, Canada, Italy and Germany rejected “the deliberate escalation steps” by Russia, which also include “the irresponsible nuclear rhetoric” and the partial mobilization of reservists .

Other issues discussed at the meeting were the state of Ukrainian personnel working at the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant, which is under the control of the invading Russian forces. The seven condemned the “pressure” exerted on their workers and pointed to Moscow for any incident that may occur in the largest plant of its kind in Europe.

Nor was the annexation of part of the Ukrainian territory by the invader left off the table, a fact that was condemned. It was also stressed that Ukraine has a “legitimate right” to recover its borders recognized by the international community.

In the official communiqué of the exchange, the G7 reaffirmed their unrestricted support for kyiv, stating that they remain “ready to reach agreements with interested countries and institutions and with Ukraine on lasting security and other commitments to help Ukraine defend itself, guarantee its free and democratic future and deter future Russian aggression.

The “Number One Priority”

Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky was also part of the G7 meeting. The attacks launched by Russia this Tuesday on its critical infrastructure, led it to request “a sufficient number of modern and effective anti-aircraft defense systems.” That is the “number one priority” according to the president.

The issue will be discussed at the NATO defense ministers’ summit that will take place on Wednesday and Thursday this week. The assembly will also discuss the reinforcement of arms and ammunition reserves to guarantee the bloc’s security and long-term support for Ukraine.

Zelensky thanked German Chancellor Olaf Scholz for his gestures of support for accelerating the delivery of the IRIS-T defense system and White House tenant Joe Biden for promising to supply anti-aircraft weapons.

Another of the requirements of the Ukrainian head of state was the sending of an international mission to its border with Belarus, an unconditional ally of the Kremlin that in recent hours has made accusations against kyiv of wanting to carry out acts similar to the one that occurred on the Crimean bridge. .

Russia “desperate” and without weapons

Despite all the measures taken to strengthen allied security and defend Ukrainian territory from the Russian invasion, the head of the British Intelligence, Security and Cybersecurity services agency, Jeremy Fleming, stressed that the Eurasian giant is running out of weapons. and that its leadership is “desperate.”

“I think Russia is running out of ammunition, it is clearly running out of friends and we have seen, from the mobilization declaration, that it is running short of troops,” he told Radio 4.

The director stated that in Moscow they are “concerned about the state of their military machinery”, however, he described it as “very capable”, despite the shortcomings it may present.

At another point in his speech, Fleming responded cautiously to the questioning of the alleged use of nuclear weapons by the Kremlin.

“Any talk about nuclear weapons is very dangerous and you have to be very careful how you talk about it,” he concluded.

With Reuters and EFE