NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in his doorstep statement at the start of the NATO Foreign Ministers meeting in Antalya, Turkey on May 13, 2015 talked about the main challenges that NATO was facing, especially the Russian Federation to the East:
“Over the next two days, foreign ministers of NATO will address the main challenges that NATO is facing, both to the East and to the South. To the East, we face a more assertive Russia, responsible for aggressive actions in Ukraine.”
“It is about keeping NATO strong, investing in our collective defence, increasing the readiness and preparedness of our forces. And also doing more to be ready to counter hybrid warfare and cyber defence.”
General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO would help its partners to reform and modernise their defences:
“we would work with neighbours, with partners both in the East and to the South to help them reform and modernise their defences and to be able to take more responsibility for their security.”
NATO Secretary mentioned that US Secretary of State John Kerry met with Russian officials on Tuesday, May 12, 2015 in Sochi, the Russian Federation and discussed the situation in Ukraine:
“We also have the privilege of being briefed by Secretary Kerry on his talks with President Putin and Foreign Minister Lavrov yesterday. We went through many different issues. He briefed also on both Ukraine, the Iran nuclear talks, the situation in Libya, Syria.”
“And on Ukraine, the main message is that the Minsk agreements has to be implemented in full, the cease-fire has to be respected, heavy weapons have to be withdrawn and we call on Russia to stop supporting the separatists and to withdraw all its forces from Eastern Ukraine. Actions speak louder than words, so now is the time to act and there is urgency when it comes to the full implementation of the Minsk agreements,” underlined NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg
Actually on the pre-ministerial press conference that hold in NATO HQ, Brussels, Belgium, on May 11, 2015, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that Russia had to stop supporting the pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine:
“Anyway we are calling for Russia to withdraw its support for the separatists because it is the violation of the Minsk Agreements, and to stop support the separatists and to respect the border between Russia and Ukraine,” said General Jens Stoltenberg
