Ukraine Must Address Military Shortage Issues Itself, NATO Secretary General

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that Ukraine will be able to independently make decisions regarding the mobilization of military personnel. He made this statement in response to a question about how allies intend to assist the Ukrainian Armed Forces in addressing resource shortages.

At the same time, according to Stoltenberg, Ukraine’s partners must provide the necessary weapons and maximize supplies. “NATO allies can allocate resources to provide more support than they currently do. As for the people, that must be ensured by Ukraine. It has recently adopted a new law extending the conscription age. I am confident that Ukraine will make the necessary decisions to mobilize the required number of people,” Stoltenberg said in a statement ahead of the G7 foreign ministers' meeting.

Jens Stoltenberg pointed out that NATO countries are focused on increasing air defense supplies to Ukraine. In particular, alliance members are working on the delivery of Patriot missile defense systems, which have been requested by the Ukrainian authorities. “We are working with allies to ensure that they reposition some of their systems to Ukraine; Germany has already made a decision, and also found ways to finance the deployment of air defense systems in Ukraine,” the NATO Secretary General said.