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Added on the 29/11/2023 15:33:48 - Copyright : Euronews EN
New UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer says an upcoming NATO summit in Washington is an opportunity for him "to make clear our unshakeable support" for the alliance and to "reiterate" Britain's backing of Ukraine. Speaking after his Labour Party secured a landslide election win, ending 14 years of Conservative rule, Starmer says "the first duty of my government is security and defence." SOUNDBITE
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says it is 'vital' for US to agree on continued Ukraine support. 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
The defence of Europe without Ukraine would be a "futile task", Kyiv's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba tells the press as he arrives for a meeting of his North Atlantic Treaty Organization counterparts in Brussels. Speaking after greeting the US-led defence alliance's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, Kuleba adds that he believes the Ukrainian armed forces to now be currently "the strongest and the most battle-hardened army in Europe" as its war against Russia's invading forces drags on towards a third year. Kuleba and his NATO counterparts on Wednesday are set to agree on a plan for reforms aimed at helping Ukraine towards eventual membership in the alliance. IMAGES
French president Emmanuel Macron and Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky arrive for a bilateral meeting on the second day of the NATO Summit in Vilnius, Lituania. The members of the G7 presented a plan of long-term commitments for the security of Ukraine this morning, after Ukraine's hopes of obtaining a precise timetable for joining the Alliance were dashed. IMAGES
NATO and the European Union vow to bolster their backing for Ukraine to fight off Russia's invasion. "We must continue to strengthen the partnership between NATO and the European Union. And we must further strengthen our support to Ukraine," says NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg after signing a joint declaration with the EU's top officials. SOUNDBITE