The member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) pledged to help Ukraine repair its energy infrastructure and protect its people from Russian missile attacks.
The final statement of the meeting of foreign ministers of the NATO countries - which was held in the Romanian capital, Bucharest - confirmed the commitment of these countries to the independence of Ukraine, and the non-recognition of Russia's annexation of Ukrainian regions.
The statement stated that the alliance will increase political and practical support for Ukraine for as long as possible, and strengthen partnership with it, stressing that it will continue to coordinate with the concerned parties, especially the European Union, to enhance this support.
For his part, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken announced $53 million in financial assistance that will be added to a $55 million package allocated to purchase generators to help Ukraine.
An American source said that this amount will be used to purchase electrical equipment.
Including adapters will be delivered quickly to Ukraine.
For its part, the European Union called for activating the civil protection mechanism, through which about 500 generators will be delivered to Ukraine, in addition to 2,000 winter-resistant tents, as a result of cooperation between 17 member states of the Union.
Patriot systems
In the context, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that NATO members are discussing the delivery of the Patriot anti-missile defense system to Ukraine.
He added that to ensure the efficiency of these advanced systems, the necessary spare parts and ammunition must be provided.
Stoltenberg added that NATO countries will provide additional support to Ukraine in order to repair energy facilities and infrastructure targeted by Russia.
On the other hand, a spokesman for the US Department of Defense (Pentagon) Patrick Ryder replied that the United States does not plan at the present time to send Patriot batteries to Ukraine, adding that air defense in Ukraine is a priority for the Pentagon and the international community.
In what appears to be a response to Stoltenberg's statements regarding NATO's discussion of the possibility of transferring Patriot air defense systems to Ukraine;
Dmitry Medvedev, deputy head of the Russian Security Council, said that if NATO provided Ukraine with Patriot systems, those systems would become a legitimate target for his country's forces.
weapons and fast
Ukraine had called on the NATO countries meeting in Bucharest to accelerate the supply of weapons and electrical equipment, to help the country - which was devastated by more than 9 months of war - to cope with the damage to the energy infrastructure caused by the Russian bombing.
"Last time, I said 3 words: weapons, weapons, weapons. This time I have 3 more words: faster, faster, faster," said Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba - shortly before starting a meeting with Stoltenberg.
Meanwhile, NATO said it had strengthened its presence in its eastern part with 8 battle groups in Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Latvia, Estonia, Romania, Lithuania and Slovenia.
He added that the members of these groups are of different nationalities and are ready to fight, and their presence shows that an attack on one ally is an attack on everyone.
Russian losses in Donetsk
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that Russian forces continue to suffer heavy losses on the Ukrainian Donetsk front, stressing that the situation on the front is dangerous.
Zelensky said - through his Telegram account yesterday, Tuesday - that the Russian forces tried to advance on the Donetsk front, but the Ukrainian army continued to successfully repel the Russian attacks.
He added that the Russian forces are trying to hold on to the settlements they control in the Lugansk region, and are trying to advance in the Kharkiv region and southern Ukraine.