NATO: Any Attack on a Member State will be met with a United and Decisive Response

“Russia bears full responsibility for the war in Ukraine, which is a gross violation of international law and the principles of the UN Charter. Russia's aggression, including sustained and unconscionable attacks on Ukrainian civil and energy infrastructure, is depriving millions of Ukrainians of basic human services. It affects global food supplies and threatens the world's most vulnerable countries and peoples. Russia's unacceptable actions, including its hybrid activities, energy blackmail, and reckless nuclear rhetoric, are undermining the rules-based international order.”

This was stated in a statement by the ministers of foreign affairs of the NATO countries, who gathered on Tuesday at a meeting in Bucharest.

“We stand in solidarity with Poland following the November 15 incident that resulted in the tragic loss of life as a result of Russia's missile attacks against Ukraine. We condemn Russia's brutality against the civilian population of Ukraine and human rights violations and abuses, such as forced deportation, torture and barbaric treatment of women, children and vulnerable persons. All those responsible for war crimes, including sexual violence, related to the conflict must be held accountable. We also condemn all those, including Belarus, who actively facilitate Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine”, was added in the statement.

In it, the ministers express solidarity "with the government and people of Ukraine in their heroic defense of the nation and the land, and we pay tribute to all those who died." "We remain steadfast in our commitment to the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine. We will never recognize Russia's illegal annexations, which grossly violate the UN Charter. We will continue and further increase political and practical support for Ukraine as it continues to defend its sovereignty and territorial integrity and our shared values ​​against Russian aggression, and we will continue to support it for as long as necessary.”

In this context, NATO will continue to coordinate its activities in close cooperation with relevant stakeholders, including international organizations, in particular the EU, as well as like-minded partners.

Allies will assist Ukraine as it rebuilds its energy infrastructure and protects its people from missile attacks.

NATO is also committed to long-term support for Ukraine's post-war recovery and reforms "so that it can secure its free and democratic future, modernize its defense sector, strengthen its long-term interoperability and deter future aggression."

"We will continue to strengthen our partnership with Ukraine as it develops its Euro-Atlantic aspirations."

The meeting was attended by the foreign ministers of Finland and Sweden, which applied for membership in the alliance, as well as the ministers of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia and Moldova.

NATO declared that it stood firmly behind the open door policy and confirmed "the decisions we took at the Bucharest summit in 2008 and all subsequent decisions regarding Georgia and Ukraine".

It concluded that "NATO will continue to protect our population and defend every inch of Allied territory at all times."

"We are facing threats and challenges from authoritarian actors and strategic competitors from all strategic directions. In light of the most serious threat to Euro-Atlantic security in decades and in line with the Strategic Concept, we are implementing a new baseline for our deterrence and defense posture, significantly strengthening it and further developing the full range of robust, combat-ready forces and capabilities.”

We remain committed to preparing for, deterring, and defending against adversary attacks on allied critical infrastructure. Any attack against the Allies will be met with a united and decisive response. We will continue to strive for peace, security and stability throughout the Euro-Atlantic area.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has accused Russia and its President Vladimir Putin of using winter as a military weapon in their attack on Ukraine's infrastructure. The attacks have left much of the country without electricity and the clean water needed to survive the usually harsh Ukrainian winter.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Moscow's attacks had damaged about 40 percent of the country's civilian infrastructure, pushing it into an energy crisis just in time for the winter season.

Under the Geneva Conventions, attacks on civilians or infrastructure vital to their survival can be construed as a war crime.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said his country needed additional air defense systems to "break this vicious cycle" in which Russia repeatedly destroys infrastructure while Ukrainian teams repair it again.

"We are fighting a terrorist state," Ukraine's Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said. "Ukraine will prevail and bring the war criminals to justice."

The United States is expected to provide a new aid package targeting Ukraine's infrastructure sector to help restore electricity across the country. This support is expected to be extended to neighboring Moldova.

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