Nato can't allow Russia to weaken European security says Stoltenberg

Nato must not allow Russia to continue to undermine European Security, the bloc's secretary general, Jens Stoltenberg, has said.

Stoltenberg on Wednesday attended in Warsaw a meeting of the Bucharest Nine (B9), or Nato's nine eastern flank members. The meeting was also attended by US President Joe Biden.

According to Stoltenberg, US President Joe Biden's visit to Kyiv on Monday "sent a clear message of our steadfast support to Ukraine and America's ironclad commitment to the security of Europe."

"One year since the launch of Russia's invasion, President Putin is not preparing for peace," Stoltenberg continued. "On the contrary, he is preparing for more war. So we must sustain and step up our support for Ukraine. We must give Ukraine what they need to prevail."

The Nato chief said it was unknown when the war in Ukraine would end, "but when it does, we need to ensure that history does not repeat itself."

He said Russia had shown a pattern of aggression over the years, citing its 2008 attack on Georgia, it's annexation of Crimea in 2014 and subsequent involvement in the eastern Ukrainian Donbas region, followed by the full invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022.

"We cannot allow Russia to continue to chip away at European security," Stoltenberg said. "We must break the cycle of Russian aggression."

The Nato secretary general concluded by saying the alliance had never been more united and would protect every inch of its territory under its article 5, which provides for mutual support.

"All for one, and one for all," he said.