Ukraine has retaken half of the territory Russia seized at the beginning of the war – and one day it will be a NATO member, the alliance’s top soldier said.
Adm. Rob Bauer, NATO’s most senior military officer, and Gen. Christopher Cavoli, supreme allied commander Europe, said allies are moving quickly to arm Ukraine to repel Russian invaders.
“Every day we are growing closer and more interconnected until one day the Ukrainian flag will be hoisted in front of this headquarters,” Bauer said, speaking at NATO HQ in Brussels and repeating a promise NATO previously made.
“I’ve been very close contact with our Ukrainian colleagues and I’m confident that that they will hold the line,” Cavoli said.
He said allies are moving quickly to deliver resources like ammunition, short-range air defence systems and armoured vehicles to Ukraine, telling reporters, “I heard a number of chiefs of defence talk about deliveries within days or a week.”
They spoke after a meeting of NATO’s military committee, which draws chiefs of defence or representatives together.
Cavoli said the organization itself “stands united, strong and ready for any challenge,” touting the recent Steadfast Defender exercise that brought more than 90,000 personnel from 32 NATO countries “shoulder to shoulder.”
When asked about the current Russian push in the Kharkiv region, Cavoli told reporters Russia does not have the numbers to breach Ukrainian lines and that “they don’t have the skill and capability to operate at the scale necessary to exploit” such a breakthrough.
Responding to another question, Bauer said Ukraine was not in a position where it needed to negotiate with Russia.
He said allies are being creative in how they give Kyiv the resources it needs, including combining components.
“So if one (member) has the sensor and another one has the shooter and the third one has the ammunition – that together they make something, they come up with a solution for Ukraine,” he said.
The American commander said it was clear Russian forces have learned from some of their mistakes in the past, with Bauer adding they’ve improved their logistics but still suffer from a lack of experienced soldiers and simple equipment.
Bauer said Thursday was the 813th day of a war Russia thought would only last three days.
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