At their meetings on Tuesday and Wednesday in Bucharest, NATO Foreign Ministers would address ways to step up support for Ukraine, as well as other partners facing Russian pressure, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Moldova, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg stated.

“Russia’s war on Ukraine has not made us forget other partners facing Russian pressure, intimidation and aggression. It has actually made our partnerships even more important. That is why NATO foreign ministers will meet with their Ukrainian counterparts, as well as with Georgia, Moldova, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. To address the challenges we face. And to enhance our support. For their resilience, political independence, and the modernisation of their armed forces. So that they can better defend themselves. If they are safer, we will be more secure,” NATO Secretary-General said.

In his speech at the international conference, Jens Stoltenberg discussed the Ukraine war and said the alliance should not concede victory to Russia.

“If we let Putin win, all of us will pay a much higher price for many years to come. Because then, the lesson learned by President Putin and other authoritarian leaders is that they can achieve their goals by using brute force. So, they will be emboldened to use even more force once again. That will make our world more dangerous and all of us more vulnerable.

Therefore, it is in our own long-term security interest to support Ukraine. There can be no lasting peace if the aggressor wins. There can be no lasting peace if oppression and autocracy prevail over freedom and democracy.

We know that most wars end at the negotiating table. But what happens at the negotiating table is inextricably linked to what happens on the battlefield. Therefore, to create the conditions for lasting peace, which ensures that Ukraine prevails as an independent sovereign state, we must continue to provide military support to Ukraine. So our message from Bucharest is that NATO will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes. We will not back down,” he said.

Georgian Minister of Foreign Affairs Ilia Darchiashvili participates in the meeting of NATO Foreign Ministers in Bucharest, Romania.