Politico: EU and NATO almost ready to issue long-delayed joint pledge to back Ukraine

Nine months into the full-scale invasion, the EU and NATO are expected to soon formally issue a joint statement for Russia to stop its war and leave Ukraine, and to pledge full support to Kyiv.

A draft of the declaration was partially reviewed by Politico and the document has been in the works for some time but held up over tensions between Turkey and Cyprus, diplomats said. Two diplomats who spoke to Politico said the statement is expected to be presented soon, early next week or in the first days of 2023, if end-of-year schedules get in the way.

The diplomats reportedly agreed “to fully support Ukraine’s inherent right to self-defence and to choose its own destiny.” And they say that “Russia’s brutal war” has “exacerbated a food and energy crisis affecting billions of people around the word.”