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The NATO chief has warned Western allies to “increase” weapons production in the coming months to continue supporting Ukraine as Russia continues its bombing attacks.
Jens Stoltenberg said the Ukraine-Russia war is using an “enormous amount” of munitions, with signs suggesting President Vladimir Putin is looking for the “long term.”
Stolenberg said NATO allies should help supply the Kyiv government with the weapons it needs, but they should also maintain their own stockpiles of weapons.
He told BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend: “For artillery, we need an enormous amount of ammunition, we need spare parts, we need maintenance.”
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg (pictured) said the Ukraine-Russia war is using an “enormous amount” of munitions, with signs suggesting President Vladimir Putin is looking for “the long haul.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his New Year address to the Russians during his visit to the Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, December 31, 2022.
‘This is a great company. We need to increase production, and that is exactly what the NATO allies are doing.
“It is a fundamental responsibility of NATO to ensure that we have the stocks, supplies and weapons to ensure our own deterrence and defense, but also to be able to continue to support Ukraine in the long term.”
The call comes as Russia continues to shell civilian areas of Ukraine, with little sign of abating.
More missile attacks were seen over the New Year weekend in the capital of Kyiv and the eastern city of Kherson.
Intensive missile and drone attacks made celebrations impossible in some areas.
Heavy missile strikes and drone strikes in some areas made celebrations impossible in Ukraine. One person was killed and 20 people were killed after a hotel building in Kyiv (pictured) was hit by a Russian missile attack.
Ukraine’s Air Force command said it had destroyed 45 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight and Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said there were no casualties, though attacks on Saturday killed at least one person in the capital. .
Andriy Nebytov, Kyiv’s police chief, posted a photo on the Telegram messaging app that allegedly shows a part of a kamikaze drone on which a Russian soldier had stamped the words “Happy New Year.”
“These remains are not at the front, where fierce battles are taking place, they are here, on a sports ground, where children play,” Nebytov said.
A curfew was established in the capital at 11 pm, preventing citizens from celebrating in the main square overnight.
But during the hours leading up to the curfew, hundreds of residents filled the streets, waving Ukrainian flags and wishing each other well as they took selfies in front of a large Christmas tree on Sofia Square lit up in blue and yellow.
Ukrainians take a selfie with the Ukrainian national flag near a Christmas tree at night in central Kyiv, Ukraine on December 31, 2022 before the New Year
A Happy New Year message is written in Russian on what appears to be a part of an Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drone fired at Kyiv overnight.
In his New Year’s speech, Putin noted that the war, now in its 11th month, will continue.
Footage released by Russian state television showed Putin raising a glass of champagne with soldiers, some with awards pinned to their chests, before telling viewers that “moral and historical rectitude is on our side.”
Putin said this year was marked by “truly crucial and fateful events” that became “the border that lays the foundation for our common future, for our true independence.”
“Today we are fighting for this, protecting our people in our own historical territories, in the new constituent entities of the Russian Federation,” he added, referring to four Ukrainian regions that Russia claimed to have annexed.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the Ukrainians would fight until the war was won.
In an emotional New Year’s speech he said: ‘We fought and we will continue to fight. For the sake of the main word: ”victory,” he said in a New Year’s speech even as his country was enduring new Russian attacks.
‘I want to say to all of you: Ukrainians, you are amazing! See what we have done and what we are doing.
‘We fight as one team: the whole country, all our regions. I admire you all. I want to thank every invincible region of Ukraine.
Stoltenberg said that while the Ukrainians had enjoyed the upper hand in the fighting in recent weeks, there are signs that the Russians are regrouping for a renewed offensive.
He added: ‘Russia has shown no sign of giving up its overall goal of taking control of Ukraine.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, standing next to his wife Olena Zelenska, said Ukraine would beat Russia in his New Year’s speech.
“Ukrainian forces have had momentum for several months, but we also know that Russia has mobilized many more forces. Many of them are now training.
“All of that indicates that they are prepared to continue the war and also potentially try to launch a new offensive.”
While Stoltenberg said he believes the war will “probably” end at the negotiating table, he said it is essential to ensure that the Ukrainians can enter any talk from a position of strength.
“What Ukraine can achieve at that table will depend on the strength on the battlefield,” he said.
“If we want a negotiated solution that ensures Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent and democratic state in Europe, then we must support Ukraine now.”
While Stoltenberg (pictured) said he believes the war will “probably” end around the negotiating table, he said it is essential to ensure the Ukrainians can enter any talk from a position of strength.
Earlier, the prosecutor who led the case against Serbian leader Slobodan Milosevic called for Putin to be tried for war crimes.
Sir Geoffrey Nice, who worked with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, said the case against the Russian leader “could not be clearer.”
He told BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House: ‘They are crimes against humanity because civilian targets must never be bombed or otherwise attacked.
“There can be no doubt about the chain of command that leads directly to Putin. These are his soldiers. He is a guilty man.
Sir Geoffrey said he was surprised that prosecutors and politicians were not saying this more openly and expressed concern that Putin could be spared from trial as part of a deal to end the war.
“It is quite possible that there is an agreement drafted by someone, not by the Ukrainians, that will have a clause saying that Putin will not be tried,” he said.
“That is a horrifying prospect and it will be a complete denial of justice for the people of Ukraine.”