NATO Secretary General Admits Support for Ukraine Is Costly for Europeans

Western countries' military and financial support for Kiev ends up costing their societies dearly, but this support is necessary, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said.

"Rising food and energy bills mean hard times for many households in Europe," he said, Sputnik reported.

However, European countries should continue to provide Kiev with military supplies despite the price, because "the best way to maintain peace is to support Ukraine," Stoltenberg added.

The NATO secretary general especially mentioned German aid, which supplies the country with air defense systems and howitzers.

"Weapons from Germany save lives," he said.

Moscow has repeatedly warned the West against further involvement in the conflict, while the European Union, the United States, and NATO have maintained that they are not a party to the hostilities despite training Ukrainian soldiers, sending instructors and hardware to Ukraine, and providing intelligence support.

Russian presidential Press Secretary Dmitry Peskov noted that pumping Ukraine with weapons from the West does not contribute to the success of Russian-Ukrainian negotiations and would have a negative effect.

Earlier, Russia sent a diplomatic note to all countries on the issue of arms supplies to Ukraine. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov noted that any cargo containing weapons for Ukraine would become a legitimate target for Russia.