'Don't lose heart': NATO chief tells Ukraine and allies

'Don't lose heart': NATO chief tells Ukraine and allies
by AFP Staff Writers
Brussels, Belgium (AFP) Feb 24, 2024

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Saturday urged Ukraine and its allies not to "lose heart" as Russian President Vladimir Putin presses his bloody offensive two years into the war.

"The situation on the battlefield remains extremely serious. President Putin's aim to dominate Ukraine has not changed, and there are no indications that he is preparing for peace," Stoltenberg said in a recorded message to mark the second anniversary of the invasion.

"But we must not lose heart. Ukraine has demonstrated remarkable skill and fierce determination again and again."

The second anniversary of the invasion comes as Ukraine's outgunned troops are struggling to hold the front line and doubts swirl over future support from the United States.

Stoltenberg pointed to recent promises of military aid from NATO states "worth billions of dollars".

"These cover key capabilities like artillery ammunition, air defence, and combat boats. As well as F-16 equipment and spare parts, drones, and demining equipment.

"More support is on the way."

Stoltenberg said Putin had started his war to close the door to eventual NATO membership for Kyiv.

"But he has achieved the exact opposite: Ukraine is now closer to NATO than ever before," he said.

"Ukraine will join NATO. It is not a question of if, but of when. As we prepare you for that day, NATO will continue to stand with Ukraine. For your security, and for ours."

Ukraine army chief says 'light' will triumph over 'darkness'
Kyiv, Ukraine (AFP) Feb 24, 2024 - "Light" will triumph over "darkness", Kyiv's army chief Oleksandr Syrsky said Saturday on the second anniversary of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Two years ago, Moscow sent troops into Ukraine from several directions in an attack that shocked the world.

"I am convinced that unity is our victory. And it will definitely happen. Because light always conquers darkness!" Syrsky said on social media.

He recalled how few believed Ukraine's smaller army could fend off a Russian advance on Kyiv in the first days of the war in 2022.

"When thousands of columns of Russian invaders moved from all directions into Ukraine, when thousands of missiles and bombs fell on our land, no one in the world believed that we would survive," he said.

"No one believed, but Ukraine did! It believed, accepted the battle and survived," Syrsky said.

He praised Ukraine's fallen soldiers and the liberation of land in the northeast and the south, while acknowledging that an "attempted Ukrainian counteroffensive... did not bring the desired result."

The Russian-born commander said that, two years on, Ukraine is still determined to fight for "every metre of our land."