NATO states supporting Ukraine for strategic interests, not out of mercy- official

NATO member states are supporting Ukraine not out of mercy, but because it aligns with their own strategic interests, Boris Ruge, Acting Deputy Secretary General of the alliance said.

Ruge emphasized that NATO’s decision to assist Ukraine is driven by the strategic importance of ensuring Ukraine’s sovereignty and independence, Caliber.Az reports citing Russian media.

"We must continue to support Ukraine," he said, clarifying that the support is "not out of mercy, but because it is in NATO's strategic interest" for Ukraine to remain a sovereign and independent nation.

Ruge further noted that global security is increasingly unstable, saying, "The world around us is neither becoming more peaceful nor more stable."

He also pointed out that NATO has hundreds of thousands of troops ready to be deployed to the alliance's eastern flank or elsewhere within ten days if necessary.

The security of Ukraine is of great importance to NATO and its member states. The Alliance fully supports Ukraine’s inherent right to self-defence, and its right to choose its own security arrangements.

Relations between NATO and Ukraine date back to the early 1990s and have since developed into one of the most substantial of NATO’s partnerships. Since 2014, in the wake of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, cooperation has been intensified in critical areas. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, NATO and allies have provided unprecedented levels of support.

By Vafa Guliyeva