The European Union and NATO on Tuesday expressed their support for Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion, stressing that they will support the Ukrainian authorities "for as long as necessary" in the face of the war of attrition posed by Moscow.
In the framework of the second summit of the Crimean Platform, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that the Russian aggression is turning into a "war of attrition", so now it is time to "sustain support" in the long term so that Ukraine can survive as an "independent and sovereign nation".
"Winter is coming and it will be difficult. What we see now is a crushing war of attrition, a battle of wills and logistics," warned NATO's political chief, stressing that a "strong, stable and independent" Ukraine is essential for Euro-Atlantic security.
Stoltenberg has defended the unprecedented support of the allies in providing armaments to Ukraine. "NATO has been on Ukraine's side for decades since its independence and it is now. We will continue to stand by Ukraine, as long as it takes," he has stated.
For her part, the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, has sent another message of support to Kiev in the face of the "existential" struggle waged by Ukraine against Russian aggression, stating that the EU will help with initiatives of all kinds, such as getting grain out of Ukrainian ports in the face of the "cynical Russian blockade." "The EU will remain on Ukraine's side for as long as necessary," he stressed.
Von der Leyen stressed that Russian President Vladimir Putin's plans are backfiring and this Wednesday Ukraine will celebrate its national day, while strengthening its ties with the EU, after the EU-27 agreed in June to grant Kiev candidate status.
"Our peoples have never been closer and the commitment to a free and democratic Ukraine has never been stronger," reiterated the leader of the European Executive. On the situation in the Crimean peninsula, she has shown her concern about Human Rights violations, torture, disappearances and deaths, as well as persecution of minorities such as Tatars. "This is the dark reality of Putin's occupation", she asserted.
Meanwhile, the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, has insisted that Crimea is part of Ukraine and that the EU will not recognize the illegal Russian annexation of 2014. In this regard, he said that Moscow's aggression did not begin in February this year but with the invasion of the Black Sea peninsula.
This forum was created last year by Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky to improve the effectiveness of the international response to the ongoing occupation of Crimea and to increase international pressure on the Kremlin, as well as to protect the victims of the Russian occupation.