Bloomberg has learned about NATO discussions on security guarantees for Ukraine

NATO countries at a summit in Brussels discussed options for providing security guarantees to Ukraine that would "not provoke" the Russian side, Bloomberg reported on December 4, citing diplomatic sources. This was reported by Bloomberg news agency on December 4, citing diplomatic sources.

"The discussion includes security guarantees that would protect Ukraine without provoking [Russian President Vladimir] Putin," the publication said.

It is noted that at a press conference in Brussels, NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte tried to focus the countries' attention on supplying arms to Ukraine so that it would stand "in a position of strength" by the time the talks begin.

"We have to do more than just keep Ukraine in the fight. <...> We must provide enough support to change the trajectory of this conflict once and for all," Rutte said.

Earlier in the day, U.S. Secretary of State Anthony Blinken said that $50 billion from the United States and European Union countries would start flowing to Kiev in the coming weeks through profits from frozen Russian assets.

Also that day, Russia's permanent representative to the United Nations (UN), Vassily Nebenzya, said that Russia had requested a meeting of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for December 20 to discuss Western arms deliveries to Kiev.

Prior to that, on Nov. 28, Putin warned that Russia would respond to aggression from Ukraine by selecting the right tool for each target. After the US missile attacks, the Russian army launched 100 missiles and 466 drones at Ukrainian military facilities, the Russian leader specified.

Putin said on Nov. 21 that Ukraine had used Western long-range weapons against the Russian state, causing the regional conflict to take on elements of a global conflict. He also said that one of Russia's newest medium-range missile systems, the Oreshnik missile, had been tested under combat conditions.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine against the backdrop of Russia's special operation to protect Donbass, which was announced by Russian President Vladimir Putin on February 24, 2022, after the situation in the region worsened due to shelling by the Ukrainian military.