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- NATO chief confident Ukraine ready to make offensive gains
NATO chief confident Ukraine ready to make offensive gains
'One of the main issues has been to go through all the different capabilities, systems, supplies that the Ukrainians need to be able to retake more land'
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday he was “confident” that Ukraine was prepared to retake territory as Kyiv readies for a new counteroffensive against invading Russian forces.
"I'm confident that they will now be in a position to be able to liberate even more land," Stoltenberg told journalists in Germany when asked if Ukraine has what it needs to successfully execute the offensive.
"One of the main issues here today has been to go through all the different capabilities, systems, supplies that the Ukrainians need to be able to retake more land," he continued, speaking on the sidelines of a meeting of dozens of Kyiv's international supporters.
The NATO chief noted that multiple Patriot air defense batteries were delivered to Ukraine: "Germany and the U.S. have now delivered Patriot batteries, which are operational in Ukraine.”
Kyiv repeatedly pushed for the high-tech system to help shield against Russian strikes, and the Pentagon said in late March that a group of 65 Ukrainian military personnel completed training on the Patriot in the United States and returned to Europe.
The day prior, Stoltenberg made his first visit to Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion last year and said that the country’s future is in joining the Western alliance.
"Ukraine's future is in NATO, all allies agree on that. At the same time, the main focus of the alliance, or allies now, is to ensure that Ukraine prevails," he said.