Ukraine’s Western allies made a fresh appeal on Saturday to give Ukraine what it needs to defeat Russia, with NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg to warn of the danger of Moscow winning as the anniversary of the start of the war approaches.

During the second day of the Security Conference, which is being held in Munich, Germany, the NATO Secretary General estimated that there is “no indication” that Vladimir Putin has “changed his ambitions”.

At this critical moment of conflict, it is necessary to “give Ukraine what it needs to win and survive as an independent sovereign nation in Europe,” the head of the Atlantic alliance said in his speech.

“The biggest risk of all is that Putin wins. If Putin wins in Ukraine, the message to him and other authoritarian leaders will be that they can use force to get what they want.” warned.

Almost a year after the start, on February 24, 2022, of the Russian invasion, no signs of relaxation are in sight. The fighting has left tens of thousands of casualties on both sides, and NATO fears another large-scale offensive by Moscow is imminent.

The Kremlin is mobilizing “hundreds of thousands of troops” and procuring “more weapons from authoritarian countries like Iran and North Korea,” Stoltenberg stressed.

The NATO secretary general was also to invite the West “not to make the same mistake as China” he did with Russia, which has forged ties of energy dependence with Europe, according to excerpts of his speech provided to AFP by aides.