NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in a fresh interview warned the Western alliance to brace for more “bad news” from Ukraine, according to Saturday remarks given to Germany’s national ARD television.
He was asked whether he thinks the situation will worsen for Ukrainian forces in the future, after the counteroffensive has been widely acknowledged as a failure. “We should also be prepared for bad news,” he responded. “Wars develop in phases. But we have to support Ukraine in both good and bad times.”
He said that in response to the current “critical situation” the West must boost ammunition production. “I will leave it to the Ukrainians and military commanders to make these difficult operational decisions,” Stoltenberg explained.
“One of the issues we should address is the fragmentation of the European defense industry,” he said. Countries have gone from being enthusiastic supporters and donors of Ukraine’s cause to more lately sounding the alarm over dwindling or tapped defense stockpiles, as ammo production also can’t keep up.
Hellbound and Down 