Umm Muhammed Umar

NATO’s secretary-general, Jens Stoltenberg, has warned the West to prepare to continue supporting Ukraine in a war that could last for years. He added that while the costs of war were high, the price of allowing Moscow to realize its military goals was even greater. He said, “We must prepare for the fact that it could take years. We must not let up in supporting Ukraine.” Stoltenberg’s comments followed a meeting with NATO’s defence ministers last Thursday.

According to the BBC, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has also cautioned that the conflict might be long term. Both Stoltenberg and Johnson said that arming Ukraine further would make a victory more likely. PM Johnson accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of “trying to grind down Ukraine by sheer brutality.” He wrote in the Sunday Times, “I’m afraid we need to steel ourselves for a long war. Time is the vital factor. Everything will depend on whether Ukraine can strengthen its ability to defend its soil faster than Russia can renew its capacity to attack.”

Ukraine’s defence minister, Oleksiy Resnikov, met with around 50 countries in the Ukraine Defence Contact Group in Brussels to request more arms and ammunition. The BBC reports that while Ukraine’s Western allies have offered it major weapons supplies, it says it has received only a fraction, and needs heavier arms. Russian officials, meanwhile, have criticised NATO’s military support for Ukraine, reiterating that Ukraine’s endeavour to join the Western alliance had been a major factor in the decision to invade.