NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg gave a press briefing in Brussels ahead of the NATO Foreign Ministers Meeting to be held in Bucharest, Romania, on 29-30 November. “President Putin is failing in Ukraine and he is responding more brutally,” Stoltenberg said in his speech. Stating that Russia’s deliberate missile attacks on civilian infrastructure across Ukraine have left Ukrainians in the cold, deprived of electricity and food, Stoltenberg said, “This is a horrific start to the winter for Ukraine. Yes, we are all paying the price for Russia’s war against Ukraine, but the price we pay is money, while the price Ukrainians pay is blood. It is in our security interests to support Ukraine.”

Answering the question about Sweden and Finland’s applications for NATO membership, Stoltenberg reminded that the accession protocols signed after the applications of the two countries were approved by the assemblies of 28 member countries excluding Turkey and Hungary, “So far, this has been the fastest accession process in NATO’s modern history. “Of course, I urge the two remaining allies to ratify the accession protocol as soon as possible. “If there was any attack or aggressive action against Finland or Sweden, it is inconceivable for NATO not to react,” Stoltenberg said.