“Ukraine can win the war”
The G7 wants to “never” recognize the borders moved by Russia
The major industrial nations threaten Russia with further isolation. Meanwhile, Moscow says Finland and Sweden could join NATO as unwarranted. This is in danger of erupting due to the interference of another member country – Turkey.
NATO Deputy Secretary General Geoana is confident that Ukraine will defeat Russia. Two things would contribute to this: the courage of the Ukrainian soldiers and the help of NATO. The Russian offensive is already “losing momentum”.
DNATO Assistant Secretary General Mircea Geoana assured Ukraine of continued Western support in its fight against Russian troops. “Thanks to the courage of the Ukrainian army and our help, Ukraine can win this war,” Geoana said on the sidelines of informal consultations between NATO foreign ministers in Berlin on Sunday morning. The Russian offensive in Ukraine is already “losing momentum”.
Geoana spoke positively about Sweden’s and Finland’s plans to join NATO. He was “confident that the Allies” would consider possible membership applications from the two “vibrant democracies” “constructively and positively”. Turkey’s “concerns” regarding this issue were discussed “amicably”. NATO’s “open door policy” is “sacrosanct”.
Mircea Geoana, Assistant Secretary General of NATO
Source: dpa-infocom GmbH
The Finnish government recently announced its intention to apply for NATO membership. Sweden also wants to decide on a similar step soon. In both countries, parliaments must approve membership applications.
Could Turkey prevent membership?
Turkey had expressed reservations about the membership of the two countries. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has accused the Nordic countries of being close to Kurdish extremists. Many NATO states, including the federal government, have already expressed their support for Finland and Sweden joining NATO.
Geoana represents Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who has to self-isolate due to corona infection, during NATO Foreign Ministers’ consultations in Berlin. Geoana congratulated Ukraine for winning the Eurovision Song Contest. It is an expression of “the immense public support for Ukraine’s courage throughout Europe and Australia”.
According to British estimates, Russia lost around a third of the ground troops deployed in the attack on Ukraine. Britain’s Ministry of Defense said in its daily assessment of the situation on Sunday that the Russian military was suffering from a consistently high degree of attrition. At the same time, he hasn’t been able to make any significant territorial gains over the past four weeks.
“The Russian offensive in Donbass has lost momentum and is well behind schedule,” the ministry said on Twitter. The armed forces suffered from persistently low morale and reduced combat effectiveness. Under current conditions, Russia is unlikely to pick up the pace of its advance over the next 30 days.
According to the Ukrainian authorities, a rocket attack took place on Sunday morning in the Lviv region. As the governor there, Maxim Kosizki, reported on the Telegram messaging service, the military infrastructure was hit. Heavy fighting continues in Lugansk and Donetsk regions.