NATO chief says decision on Patriot air defence units for Ukraine lies with specific nations

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said that the decision on whether to send Patriot air defence units to Ukraine lies with the specific nations.

Stoltenberg made these remarks during a news conference at the Alliance's headquarters in Brussels, Belgium November 25, according to National Post.

Berlin offered Warsaw the Patriot system to help secure its airspace after a stray missile crashed and killed two people in Poland last week but Polish Defence Minister Mariusz Blaszczak later asked Germany to send the fire units to Ukraine instead.

Stoltenberg also said that NATO will continue to stand with Ukraine for as long as it takes, according to NATO’s website.

“We will not back down. It is in our security interest to support Ukraine and explained that “there can be no lasting peace if the aggressor wins. In Bucharest, NATO foreign ministers will meet with their Ukrainian counterpart Dmytro Kuleba to discuss Ukraine’s most urgent needs,” he added.

Mr Stoltenberg said that he would call on Allies to provide more support through NATO’s Comprehensive Assistance Package, which has been delivering fuel, medical supplies, winter equipment, and drone jammers, and added that NATO will help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era equipment to modern NATO standards, doctrine, and training over the longer term.