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Added on the 03/06/2022 10:35:09 - Copyright : Euronews EN
Speaking ahead of the NATO Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warns that Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine could last "for many months, for even years". SOUNDBITE
Sweden joining NATO shows Russian President Vladimir Putin "failed" in his Ukrainian war strategy of weakening the alliance, its chief Jens Stoltenberg says. The Kremlin's invasion not only prompted formerly non-aligned nations Sweden and Finland to come under NATO's defence umbrella, but now "Ukraine is closer to NATO membership than ever before," Stoltenberg adds. SOUNDBITE
NATO forces cross the Vistula River at Korzeniewo in Poland as part of the US-led defence alliance's Exercise Dragon 24, involving around 4,500 soldiers and almost 1,000 vehicles. Dragon 24 is itself part of Exercise Steadfast Defender 24, NATO's largest military exercise since the Cold War, which is designed to test its defences in the face of Russia's war on Ukraine. IMAGES
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk welcomes his Canadian counterpart Justin Trudeau in the Polish capital Warsaw. During an earlier visit to Kyiv on the second anniversary of the war in Ukraine, Trudeau appeared to accuse Russian President Vladimir Putin of assassinating his political opponent Alexei Navalny. IMAGES
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken issues a dire warning that Ukraine's territorial gains against Russia are at risk without new aid approved by Congress. "Without it, simply put, everything that Ukrainians achieved and that we've helped them achieve will be in jeopardy," Blinken tells a news conference alongside NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg. SOUNDBITE
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken says that Washington and its allies remain and must remain steadfast in their backing for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. "The answer here today at NATO is clear and it's unwavering. We must and we will continue to support Ukraine," Blinken says a meeting of the Western military alliance. There are fears that a lack of adequate support from the West could end up forcing Kyiv to seek a compromise with Russian President Vladimir Putin from a position of weakness. SOUNDBITE