Stoltenberg: Ukraine to receive more heavy weapons in near future

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said in an interview with German newspaper Handelsblatt on Jan. 15 that Ukraine can expect more deliveries of heavy arms from Western partners in the near future.

“We are in a crucial phase of the war,” he said. “It is therefore important that we provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to win.”

Stoltenberg added that Russian President Vladimir Putin “overestimated the strength of his own armed forces.”

“We see their (Russia’s military) mistakes, lack of morale, leadership problems, poor equipment,” he said. However, he added that Russia should not be underestimated.

On Jan. 11, Stoltenberg said that the alliance should step up its support for Ukraine amid fierce fighting for Bakhmut and Soledar in Donetsk Oblast.

He welcomed recent support from the U.S., France, and Germany, which decided to deliver infantry fighting vehicles and light tanks to Ukraine.

On Jan. 14, U.K. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak said the country would send 14 Challenger 2 tanks and artillery systems to Ukraine after a phone call with President Volodymyr Zelensky amid Russia’s deadly artillery attack on an apartment building in Dnipro.

Countries such as France, Germany, and the U.S. promised to provide Ukraine with more heavy military equipment, including 40 German-made Marder infantry fighting vehicles and 50 Bradley fighting vehicles.