NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned in an interview published on Sunday with the German newspaper Bild that the war in Ukraine could last for “years” and urged Western countries to provide long-term support to Kyiv.
“We must be prepared for the fact that this (war) will continue for years,” he stressed.
We must not cut back on our support for Ukraine, even if it will be costly, not only in terms of military support, but also because of rising energy and food prices.”
And Stoltenberg saw that this cost was incomparable to the price that Ukrainians pay every day on the front lines.
He also believed that if Russian President Vladimir Putin achieved his goals in Ukraine, as he did when he annexed Crimea in 2014, “then we will have to pay an even higher price.”
Under these conditions, he called on NATO member countries to continue sending weapons to Kyiv. He stressed that “with additional advanced weapons, the likelihood of repulsing Putin’s forces from the Donbass will increase.”
This region, located in eastern Ukraine, is partly controlled by Russian soldiers.
In turn, the Russian military reported that almost two million people were transferred to Russia from the disputed regions of Ukraine.
A Defense Ministry spokesman estimated the total number of transported Ukrainians at 1.936 million, including 307,000 children, according to a German news agency.
Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev said that 29,730 people, including 3,500 children, were evacuated to Russia on Saturday alone.
The Russian side says people are being taken out of the war zones and separatist areas of Donetsk and Lugansk “to a safe place in Russia.”
For his part, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky yesterday confirmed that the morale of his forces is high and he is confident they will prevail over the Russians in a conflict that NATO says could last for years.
On a rare visit outside of Kyiv, where he has been hiding since the start of the conflict, Zelenskiy traveled to the Black Sea city of Mykolaiv, where he inspected troops stationed nearby and in the neighboring Odesa region.
“We won’t give the south to anyone, we’ll take everything, and the sea will be Ukrainian,” he said in a video clip on Telegram upon his return to Kyiv.
“The losses are huge,” Zelensky said. Many houses are destroyed, civilian logistics services are disrupted, there are many social problems.”
“I asked for a circular to help all the people who have lost loved ones. We will certainly restore everything that was destroyed. The number of missiles that Russia has does not exceed the desire of our people to live.”
Zelenskiy thanked the soldiers who are trying to prevent the advance of Russian forces backed by pro-Russian militants in eastern Crimea for their “heroic service.”
“The main thing is that you are alive,” he said. As long as you are alive, there will be a strong Ukrainian wall that will protect our country.”
And in a video released by the president, Zelensky in Mykolaiv, accompanied by local governor Vitaly Kim, stands in front of the regional state administration building, which was bombed by Russia in March, killing 37 people.
And yesterday, Ukrainian forces announced that they had beaten back Russian attacks on villages near the city of Severodonetsk, where the two armies have been fighting bloody battles for weeks.
Germany takes steps to secure gas supplies
Germany will take emergency measures to secure its gas supplies amid reduced supplies from Russia, including increased use of coal, the government announced yesterday.
“In order to reduce gas consumption, less gas should be used to generate electricity,” the Ministry of Economy said in a statement. Thus, more coal-fired power plants will have to be used.”
This move was a response to statements by the German government of the Russian company Gazprom about reducing gas supplies through the Nord Stream gas pipeline against the backdrop of confrontation between Western countries and Russia in the context of the war in Ukraine.
Governor of the Lugansk region: Prepare for the worst, and the best will come!
“The situation is difficult in the city (Lyshchansk) and in the region as a whole,” said Gaidai, the governor of the Luhansk region of Ukraine, in an interview with Agence France-Presse, as the Russians are “bombing the positions of our forces.” 24 hours a day.”
“There is an expression: “Be prepared for the worst, and the best will come by itself,” Gaidai added. Of course, we need to prepare,” he said, warning of the danger that Russian troops would encircle the city of Lisichansk, cutting off supply lines.
“Theoretically it is possible,” he said. This is a war, and whatever happens, we could be trapped. Perhaps even in Lisichansk there will be a fight. This is war.”
“Look how long Severodonetsk has held out: you see that they (the Russians) don’t control the whole city… They can’t go any further and they can’t put their heavy weapons or tanks there,” the governor said.
He called for deliveries of “long-range weapons to be delivered as quickly as possible,” adding: “The fact that the West is helping us is good, but it came too late.”
