NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg expects Western countries to increase the supply of heavy weaponry to Ukraine soon.
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"This will be one of the issues we will discuss in Ramstein (U.S. air base in Germany). Ukraine will be represented. The recent pledges to provide heavy combat equipment are very important, and I expect more in the near future," Stoltenberg said in an interview with the German daily Handelsblatt.
Stoltenberg also hopes that Ukraine's supporters will be able to announce new military aid after the January 20 meeting in Ramstein.
"I welcome the decision by Germany and the US to supply armored personnel carriers. As well as France's agreement to supply light battle tanks. I am sure that other allies will also announce new support at Ramstein," the alliance secretary noted.
According to Stoltenberg, NATO allies know that Ukraine needs battle tanks, such as the German Leopard 2, and he stressed that a decisive phase of the conflict is now underway.
"It is important that we provide Ukraine with the weapons it needs to win, and to continue to exist as an independent state. It may seem paradoxical, but military support for Ukraine is the fastest path to peace," the NATO secretary concluded.
Russia sent protest notes to all countries supplying arms to Ukraine, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned that any shipment with weapons to Kiev will become a legitimate target for the Russian Armed Forces.
In his turn, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov commented that attempts to saturate Ukraine with armaments are not conducive to the progress of negotiations and will have a negative impact on the situation.