NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with The Guardian that he believes the West needs to prepare to supply Ukraine with weapons and ammunition for a long time, Interfax-Ukraine reports.
According to Stoltenberg, the United States, the United Kingdom, France, Germany and other Western powers should be prepared to support Ukraine with "weapons, ammunition and spare parts for a long time".
“The need will continue to be there because this is a war of attrition,” the Secretary General said. “This is about industrial capacity to sustain the support.” He also noted that the current rate of ammunition expenditure is higher than the current production rate.
Stoltenberg also did not rule out the possibility that the Allies could send F-16 fighters or other Western jets to Ukraine.
Speaking about China's willingness to mediate in resolving the situation in Ukraine, Stoltenberg stressed that Beijing should try to "understand Ukraine's perspectives" and "engage with President Zelenskiy directly”.
The NATO Secretary General also noted that the fighting in Ukraine is now so intense that the Ukrainian Armed Forces are using 4,000 to 7,000 artillery shells daily, compared to the 20,000 used by Russia.