NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg met with the new President of the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel at NATO headquarters Wednesday and discussed the war in Ukraine and China’s policies in the Indo-Pacific.

Speaking at a joint press conference after the meeting, Stoltenberg thanked President Pavel for Czechia’s steadfast support for Ukraine saying “Czechia has provided critical military equipment to Ukraine, including tanks, helicopters and air defence missiles and you host hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian refugees.” “Though Russian forces continue to sustain significant losses, President Putin shows no signs of preparing for peace. He thinks he can outlast Ukraine’s resistance and Western support,” said the NATO chief.

The two leaders also addressed the challenges posed by China and Stoltenberg welcomed Czechia’s new strategy on the Indo-Pacific.

“China’s coercive policies are a concern for us in the Euro-Atlantic, just as for our partners in the Indo-Pacific. China challenges our interests, security and values. China is also growing closer to Russia – refusing to condemn its illegal war against Ukraine, and echoing Russian propaganda about the West,” he said.

In reply to a question on Ukraine’s potential NATO membership, the Czech President said “at this point, it is extremely difficult to talk on concrete dates of membership, when Ukraine is in war. So first, the war has to come to an end. And then we can start thinking about potential dates.” “And even when the war is over, Ukraine will have to reconstitute their economy, their military, to become a stable country again. So it will take time, it will take a lot of effort – a lot of common effort,” he added.

Source: Kuwait News Agency