The NATO foreign ministers who will meet on Tuesday and Wednesday in Bucharest will reaffirm their unity and determination to support Ukraine in the face of the Russian invasion as long as necessary, the US ambassador to the North Atlantic Alliance, Julianne Smith, declared on Monday in Romania, in whose opinion any decision regarding possible peace negotiations with Russia must be left in the hands of President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainian people, according to Agerpres.

During an online briefing with the international press shortly after landing in Bucharest, the US representative to NATO specified that the meeting will begin on Tuesday afternoon with an assessment of the situation on Ukraine and Russia and that one of the messages will be the unity of the North-Atlantic Alliance.

She specified that the participants in the ministerial meeting will primarily discuss the recent Russian attacks on critical infrastructure in Ukraine.

Julianne Smith also emphasized that the NATO foreign ministers will have a working dinner with their Ukrainian counterpart Dmitro Kuleba on Tuesday, from whom they will be able to learn „first hand” what the needs of the Ukrainians continue to be. We are in constant contact with our friends in Kyiv and we are trying to determine the best means by which we can help them, she added.

On Wednesday, the US ambassador added, the discussions will address broader issues, related to the new NATO strategic concept that was adopted at the summer summit in Madrid and in which China is designated as a challenge to the Alliance.

She also mentioned the discussion session with Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova, NATO partners invited to the ministerial meeting in Bucharest.

Julianne Smith also emphasized that another topic will be NATO’s deterrence and defense capabilities, mentioning in this regard the Alliance’s multinational battle groups, one of which is in Romania.

Asked about possible peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia, the US ambassador said that any decision in this regard must be left in the hands of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Agerpres