The head of NATO has warned Western allies to ‘ramp up’ arms production in the coming months to continue supporting Ukraine, as Russia continues its bomb attacks.
Jens Stoltenberg said the war between Ukraine and Russia is using an ‘enormous amount’ of munitions, with signs suggesting President Vladimir Putin is digging in for the ‘long haul’.
Mr Stolenberg said the NATO allies need to help supply the government in Kyiv with the armaments they need but also need to maintain their own stockpiles of weapons.
He told BBC Radio 4’s The World This Weekend: ‘For the artillery, we need an enormous amount of ammunition, we need spare parts, we need maintenance.
NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg (pictured) said the war between Ukraine and Russia is using an ‘enormous amount’ of munitions, with signs suggesting President Vladimir Putin is digging in for the ‘long haul’
Russian President Vladimir Putin delivers his New Year address for Russians during his visit to the Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov on Don, Russia, 31 December 2022
‘This is a huge undertaking. We need to ramp up production, and that is exactly what the Nato allies are doing.
‘It is a core responsibility for Nato to ensure that we have the stocks, the supplies, the weapons in place to ensure our own deterrence and defence, but also to be able to continue to provide support to Ukraine for the long haul.’
The call comes as Russia continues to bomb civilian areas of Ukraine, with little signs of abating.
Further missile strikes were seen over the New Year’s weekend on the capital of Kyiv and in the eastern city of Kherson.
The intense missile and drone attacks made celebrations impossible in some areas.
Intense missile strikes and drone attacks in some areas made celebrations impossible in Ukraine. One person was killed and 20 people were killed after a hotel building in Kyiv (pictured) was hit by a Russian missile strike
Ukraine’s Air Force command said that they had destroyed 45 Iranian-made Shahed drones overnight and Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said there were no casualties – though attacks on Saturday killed at least one person in the capital.
Andriy Nebytov, chief of Kyiv’s police, posted a photo on the Telegram messaging app allegedly showing a piece of one kamikaze drone on which a Russian soldier had emblazoned the words ‘Happy New Year’.
‘These wreckage are not at the front, where fierce battles are taking place, they are here, on a sports grounds, where children play,’ Nebytov said.
An 11pm curfew was in place in the capital, preventing citizens from celebrating on the main square overnight.
But for hours leading up to the curfew hundreds of residents packed the streets, waving Ukrainian flags and wishing one another well as they snapped selfies in front of a large Christmas tree in Sofia Square lit up in blue and yellow.
Ukrainians take a selfie with the Ukrainian national flag near a Christmas Tree in the evening in downtown Kyiv, Ukraine, 31 December 2022 prior to the New Year
A Happy New Year message is written in Russian on what appears to be a piece of an Iranian-made Shahed kamikaze drone fired on Kyiv overnight
In his New Years address, Putin signalled that the war, now in its 11th month, will continue.
Footage released by Russian state TV showed Putin raising a glass of champagne with soldiers, some with awards pinned to their chest, before telling viewers that ‘moral, historical rightness is on our side’.
Putin said that this year was marked by ‘truly pivotal, fateful events’ which became ‘the frontier that lays the foundation for our common future, for our true independence’.
‘Today we are fighting for this, protecting our people in our own historical territories, in the new constituent entities of the Russian Federation,’ he added, referring to four Ukrainian regions that Russia claimed to have annexed.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Ukrainians would fight until they win the war.
In an emotional New Years address he said: ‘We fight and will continue to fight. For the sake of the main word: ”victory”,’ he said in a New Year address even as his country endured fresh Russian strikes.
‘I want to say to all of you: Ukrainians, you are incredible! See what we have done and what we are doing.
‘We fight as one team – the whole country, all our regions. I admire you all. I want to thank every invincible region of Ukraine.
Mr Stoltenberg said that while the Ukrainians had enjoyed the upper hand in the fighting in recent weeks, there are indications the Russians are regrouping for a renewed offensive.
He added: ‘Russia has shown no sign of giving up its overall goal of taking control over Ukraine.
Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, standing beside his wife Olena Zelenska, said Ukraine would be victorious over Russia in his New Year address
‘The Ukrainian forces have had the momentum for several months, but we also know that Russia has mobilised many more forces. Many of them are now training.
‘All that indicates that they are prepared to continue the war and also potentially try to launch a new offensive.’
While Mr Stoltenberg said he believes the war will ‘most likely’ end around the negotiating table, he said it is essential to ensure the Ukrainians are able to enter any talks from a position of strength.
‘What Ukraine can achieve round that table will depend on the strength on the battlefield,’ he said.
‘If we want a negotiated solution that ensures that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign, independent, democratic state in Europe, then we need to provide support for Ukraine now.’
While Mr Stoltenberg (pictured) said he believes the war will ‘most likely’ end around the negotiating table, he said it is essential to ensure the Ukrainians are able to enter any talks from a position of strength
Earlier, the prosecutor who led the case against Serb leader Slobodan Milosevic called for Mr Putin to be tried for war crimes.
Sir Geoffrey Nice, who worked with the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, said the case against the Russian leader ‘couldn’t be clearer’.
He told BBC Radio 4’s Broadcasting House: ‘It is crimes against humanity because civilian targets should never be bombed or otherwise attacked.
‘There can be no doubt about the chain of command leading directly to Putin. These are his soldiers. He’s a guilty man.’
Sir Geoffrey said he was surprised prosecutors and politicians are not stating this more openly and expressed concern that Mr Putin could be exempted from trial as part of a deal to end the war.
‘It quite possibly is the case that there will be a settlement agreement drafted by someone or other, not by the Ukrainians, which will have a clause in it saying Putin will not be tried,’ he said.
‘That’s an appalling prospect and it will be a complete denial of justice to the people of Ukraine.’
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