Ukraine seeks NATO membership again as chief calls on allies to ramp up military support

As Ukraine urgently seeks air defence systems to protect its critical infrastructure from Russian attacks, NATO’s Secretary-General is urging members to ramp up military support for the allied nation. “Ukraine is entering another crucial winter and Russia's aggression shows no sign of abating. Just the opposite,” said Mark Rutte during a NATO meeting in Brussels on Tuesday. “We will all need to do more. The stronger our military support to Ukraine is now, the stronger their hand will be at the negotiating table, and the sooner we can end Russian aggression once and for all in Ukraine,” he added. German Foreign Minister Annelena Baerbock called for a permanent end to the war, rather than a ceasefire, for guaranteed safety in the future. “It must not be a freezing of a conflict that only leads to further armament and further attacks on Ukraine or even other European countries,” she said. The Kremlin, however, says aid — particularly from U.S. President Joe Biden’s administration — “adds oil to the fire,” only fueling a continued war. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has been seeking NATO membership. Under the alliance's Article 5 mutual defense pact, members agree to treat an attack on one nation as an attack on all and come to each other's aid. Rutte did not address Ukraine’s request on Tuesday. For more info, please go to https://globalnews.ca Subscribe to Global News Channel HERE: http://bit.ly/20fcXDc Like Global News on Facebook HERE: http://bit.ly/255GMJQ Follow Global News on X HERE: http://bit.ly/1Toz8mt Follow Global News on Instagram HERE: https://bit.ly/2QZaZIB #GlobalNews #Ukraine #NATO