NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg visited Ukraine on Thursday, the first time since Russia's invasion on Ukraine.
According to reports, Stoltenberg paid tributes to Ukrainian soldiers who died in the ongoing war. “The NATO secretary-general is in Ukraine. We will release more information as soon as possible,” said an alliance official, who asked not to be identified in line with NATO procedures.
Pictures of Stoltenberg apparently paying tribute to fallen Ukrainian soldiers in Kyiv's St Michael's Square were published by local media. NATO has no official presence in Ukraine. As an organisation of 31 countries, it only provides non-lethal support--generators, medical equipment, tents, military uniforms and other supplies--to the government in Kyiv.
Though not directly involved, countries under NATO and various other Western countries have extended support to Ukraine in the war by supplying military equipment including tanks.
Stoltenberg has been the strong voice of the alliance throughout the war and has been instrumental in garnering and coordinating support by the 31 members for Ukraine as the country sought to hold on to its territory.
This is Stoltenberg's first visit during the hostilities and underscores the longstanding commitments of the alliance in defence of Ukraine's independence. According to reports, Stoltenberg also reviewed damaged Russian military equipment displayed in Kyiv's central square.
Reuters reported that Ukraine aims to join the alliance and last September announced a bid for fast-track membership after Russia unilaterally annexed four Ukrainian regions that its troops have partially occupied.
Earlier this month, Finland joined NATO, dealing a major blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin with a historic realignment of Europe's post-Cold War security landscape triggered by Moscow's invasion of Ukraine. The Nordic country's membership doubles Russia's border with the world's biggest security alliance.
The world's biggest security alliance has focused on bolstering defences on its own territory to dissuade Putin from attacking any member country. Under NATO's collective security guarantee, an attack on one member country is considered to be an attack on them all.
The US and many other members are providing weapons, ammunition and training for Ukraine's embattled troops bilaterally and in groups, but NATO as a whole wants to avoid being dragged into any potential war with nuclear-armed Russia.
On Friday, Stoltenberg will attend a Ukraine Defence Contact Group meeting at Ramstein Air Base, Germany.
