NATO to supply nuclear, chemical warfare protection equipment to Ukraine
Mar 23, 2022
Brussels [Belgium], March 23 : NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday announced that NATO would supply Ukraine with equipment to counter nuclear, chemical, and biological threats while addressing a press conference on Wednesday.
The remarks come ahead of the key NATO summit on Thursday, which will be attended by US President Joe Biden.
The alliance will agree to provide Ukraine with "cyber security equipment" and supplies to "protect against chemical, biological, radiological & nuclear threats," The Kyiv Independent reported.
At the press briefing, Stoltenberg talked on the course that the upcoming NATO summit could take, including announcements on further support to Ukraine and tougher actions on Russia.
NATO chief also accused China of providing political support and of "spreading blatant lies and disinformation" and said Beijing's role in the invasion would be addressed at the summit, CNN reported.
He further said that China has questioned the right of independent nations to choose their own path, adding that the alliance is concerned that China could provide "material support for the Russian invasion."
"We call on China to condemn the invasion and to engage in diplomatic efforts to find a peaceful way to end this war as soon as possible and not to provide material support [to Russia]," Stoltenberg said.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian situation in Ukraine continued to deteriorate, with thousands of refugees continuing to pour across the borders to neighboring western countries.
Announcing an economic package for countries hosting the refugees fleeing Ukraine, European Union (EU) Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said, "So far more than 3 million people have left Ukraine. Half of them children. I applaud the enormous generosity of all Europeans, all Member States, and Moldova. We propose to accelerate and inject EUR3.4 billion of liquidity to support EU countries hosting those fleeing the war."
On February 24, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the Ukrainian breakaway regions of Donetsk and Luhansk asked for Russian help against Ukrainian forces. Russia maintains that the aim of the military operations is to "demilitarize" and "denazify" Ukraine.
In response to Russia's operation, Western countries have rolled out a comprehensive sanctions campaign against Moscow.
