NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the organization continues to work closely with Georgia and Ukraine in the Black Sea region.

Jens Stoltenberg delivered an online press conference before a virtual meeting of Allied Defence Ministers on 15 April. The Secretary General set out what Ministers will discuss, including NATO’s response to the COVID-19 crisis and how the Alliance continues to deliver a strong deterrence and defence.

Jens Stoltenberg noted that Russia continues to support the separatists in Ukraine.

“Russia maintains a military presence along the borders of NATO, including in the Black Sea region. At the same time, we see that Russia continues to support the separatists in Ukraine, increases its military presence in Crimea, strengthens the Black Sea fleet. These are security challenges that we faced before the COVID-19 crisis, these challenges still exist and I expect this to continue after the pandemic. Therefore, NATO intends to help its countries in the fight against coronavirus, but also to fulfill its key responsibilities to ensure the security of the alliance’s countries. The alliance has strengthened its military presence in the Black Sea region, in particular in Romania, and also works closely with partner countries in the region – Ukraine and Georgia. The coronavirus crisis affects us all, but the security challenges remain the same”,  – Jens Stoltenberg said.