Stoltenberg Says US Congress Shows Bipartisan Support For Ukraine

Wires carrying comments from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg speaking at the Arendalsuka political conference in Norway. Mirroring the line taken by the US and its allies on 'de-risking' security-related supply chains linked to China, Stoltenberg states that '"We must not become too dependent on China for strategic raw materials."

• On the war in Ukraine, Stoltenberg claims that 'Ukraine is slowly but surely capturing land."
• There remain concerns in Kyiv and its allies that in the coming months it could prove more difficult for the Biden administration to get sign-off on military and financial support packages for Ukraine due to intransigence from right-wing Republicans in the US Congress. Stoltenberg states that the "US Congress has shown broad bipartisan support for Ukraine."
• It should be noted that past support does not necessarily indicate future approval, especially given the White House's maximalistUSD24bn request to Congress for new Ukraine funding as part of an overall USD40bn supplemental spending package.
• Says that he has "not seen any changes in Russia's nuclear forces that would trigger actions by NATO."