BRUSSELS 

Russia is losing on the battlefield and its attacks on Ukrainian civilians and cities are signs of weakness, the NATO secretary-general said on Tuesday.  

Jens Stoltenberg spoke at a news conference before a two-day meeting of NATO defense ministers that starts on Wednesday. 

Stoltenberg called Russia’s indiscriminate attacks against Ukrainian cities and civilians a “sign of weakness” because in reality “Russia is losing on the battlefield.” 

He explained that the ministers will review the progress on strengthening NATO's deterrence and defense posture ahead of the “difficult winter” that the military alliance and Ukraine will face. 

According to Stoltenberg, NATO has not detected any changes in Russia’s posture but he reassured that the military alliance remains vigilant. 

Accompanied by their Ukrainian counterpart Oleksii Reznikov for a part of the reunion, the defense ministers will discuss ways to step up support for Ukraine “so they can continue to defend themselves and liberate territory from Russian occupation,” he added. 

NATO ministers will also address how to further increase the protection of critical infrastructure in light of the sabotage attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines. 

Over the past two weeks, NATO doubled its presence in the Baltic and North Seas to over 30 ships supported by maritime patrol aircraft and undersea capabilities, and increased the security around key installations, Stoltenberg asserted. 

“Any deliberate attack against allies’ critical infrastructure would be met with a united and determined response,” he underlined. 

The ministers will also discuss Russia’s nuclear threats during their meeting. 

“Russia knows that a nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought,” Stoltenberg asserted. 

At the same time, he reassured that NATO stays nevertheless prepared “against any attack, against any ally.”