NATO Secretary General confirms mini-summit on Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday, December 18, confirmed a mini-summit on the conflict in Ukraine with European Union (EU) leaders in Brussels.

"I am gathering several European leaders to discuss a number of issues. The main one is the supply of weapons, mainly air defense equipment," he said at a press conference.

In addition, the NATO secretary general urged the alliance leaders to "talk less about peace." Rutte also pointed to the start of NATO's Ukraine command in Wiesbaden.

"They bring us to a red line where we can't retreat."

At a meeting of the Defense Ministry board, Putin revealed the tactics of the West, summarized the results of special operations this year and set tasks for the next one

Earlier in the day, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said that the North Atlantic Alliance's intentions to geopolitically absorb Ukraine were blocking the path to a long-term settlement of the conflict. According to him, the root of the Ukrainian crisis lies in the expansion of Washington-led NATO into the post-Soviet space, which was a hostile act towards Russia.

The day before, Reuters quoted a source as saying that NATO, instead of the United States, had taken over the coordination of military aid deliveries to Ukraine. At the same time, it is noted that the North Atlantic alliance will not be required to send its own servicemen to the special operation zone.

Western countries have stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine against the background of Russia's special operation to protect Donbas, 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.