Rutte urged NATO countries to step up support for Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte said on January 13 that alliance countries should step up support for Ukraine.

"We must maintain and intensify support for Ukraine to change the trajectory of <conflict>," he said during his first speech to the European Parliament, which was broadcast on the body's website.

Rutte said military supplies to Ukraine should be accelerated to ensure Kiev has a strong negotiating position.

Rutte also called on European lawmakers to help increase NATO's defense spending, including by cutting social benefits. In his opinion, to ensure security, defense spending of the alliance countries should be significantly higher than 2% of GDP.

Frontline phenomenon: what weapons the AFU received from Western countries

New samples of enemy equipment failed to have a noticeable impact on the course of hostilities

Earlier in the day it was reported that German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius handed over the first of 54 RCH 155 wheeled howitzers to Ukraine. The day before, he announced the allocation of a new package of military aid to Kiev.

Before that, on 10 January, Polish Defense Minister Vladyslav Kosyniak-Kamysh said that the situation in Ukraine had upset his colleagues from NATO countries and called it very difficult for the Ukrainian army. In its turn, Reuters wrote on January 9 that the transfer of US weapons did not change the situation on the battlefield in Kiev's favor.

Western countries stepped up military and financial support for Ukraine after the start of Russia's special operation to defend Donbas. The decision to carry it out was announced on February 24, 2022 amid the aggravation of the situation in the region.