NATO Military Committee President Rob Bauer this Wednesday called on “the whole of society” to support Ukraine in its fight to survive and defend democracy after nearly two years of Russian invasion.
“The responsibility for freedom does not rest solely on the shoulders of those who wear the uniform,” Bauer said at the start of a two-day session of the Atlantic Alliance body in Brussels.
“We need public and private actors to change their mentality: from an era when everything was predictable, controlled, efficiency-oriented, to an era when anything can happen at any time,” the Dutch admiral emphasized.
At this meeting, the leaders of the Alliance’s defense departments participate in the first NATO-Ukraine Council, which is held at this level.
According to Bauer, Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine “was never associated with any real threat to Russian security from Ukraine or NATO.”
“This war is because Russia is afraid of something much more powerful than any physical weapon in the world: democracy,” he said.
“If Ukrainians can enjoy democratic rights, then soon Russians will want them too. This is the essence of this war,” he added.
The President of the Military Committee recalled that this year “a record two billion people will vote in democratic elections (at the global level), and yet the concept of democracy needs to be defended more than ever.”
Bauer said that “this Wednesday marks the 693rd day of a war that Russia expects to last three days.”
“Ukraine will have our support in all subsequent days. The outcome of this war will determine the fate of the world,” he said.
At today’s meeting, allied representatives are also discussing new defense and deterrence plans adopted at the Vilnius summit last July, which will guide the military in the coming decades.
These plans include enhancing force readiness, capacity building and development, adapting NATO command and control structures, improving logistics support for military mobility or prepositioning of equipment, and increasing the number of collective defense exercises and training.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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