NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who met with British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak in London, the capital of England, made statements to the journalists in front of the Prime Minister’s residence after the meeting. Stating that Ukraine’s support should continue, Stoltenberg said, “If Putin wins in Ukraine, it will be a disaster for the Ukrainians, but it will also make us more vulnerable. “Then the message to President Putin and other authoritarian leaders will be that they can achieve their goals using brutal military force,” he said.
Stating that Russian President Vladimir Putin made several big mistakes while invading Ukraine, Stoltenberg said that Putin underestimated the courage of Ukrainians, their determination to fight and protect their own country, and underestimated their NATO allies. Evaluating the decision to withdraw from the city of Kherson, which Russia annexed from Ukraine, Stoltenberg said, “We saw the announcement, but of course we will wait and see what happens on the field. What we do know is that Russia was first pushed back from the north around Kyiv. Then we see how the Ukrainians were able to push back the Russian forces around Kharkov in the east and then actually gradually around Kherson in the south,” he said.
Stating that it is encouraging to see that the Ukrainians are able to liberate more Ukrainian regions, Stoltenberg said, “The victories of the Ukrainian Armed Forces belong to the brave Ukrainian soldiers. But of course the support they receive from the UK, NATO allies and partners is also very important.”
RUSSIA ANNOUNCED TO WITHDRAW FROM HERSON
Russia had decided to withdraw its troops from the city of Kherson, the only regional capital it had annexed from Ukraine. Sergey Surovkin, the commander of Russia’s troops in Ukraine, stated in the report he presented to Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu, stating that they had problems in the attacks carried out by the Ukrainian army in the Kherson region, “We propose to establish a defense line on the left bank of the Dnipyr River. This is not an easy decision, but both “We will save the lives of our soldiers and the combat capabilities of the troops,” he said.
After Surovkin’s report, Shoigu accepted the withdrawal offer and said, “Start the withdrawal of the troops, take all security measures for the shipment of weapons and equipment.” (UAV)