MOSCOW, Jun. 5 (Sputnik) - NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has no sole authority to send weapons to Ukraine just as EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell cannot speak for all members of the European Union, Gen. Roberto Vannacci, candidate to the European Parliament from Italy's right-wing League party, said on Tuesday.
"Politically speaking, NATO is not in the state of war. All decisions concerning weapons supply [to Ukraine] have been made by individual countries. The secretary general has no authority in the matter. He is a bureaucrat, a representative of an organization that is not directly involved in the conflict. However, it looks like he speaks for all [member states], as he has overcome the sovereignty of every state in the matter of their participation in the Ukrainian conflict," Vannacci told a briefing in Rome in response to a question by RIA Novosti.
Borrell does a similar thing when expressing a joint position without consulting the authorities of individual countries, the parliamentary candidate added.
"I can provide Austria as an example. It is an individual country, but it does not give Ukraine any weapons. In this regard it is necessary to ask how much sovereignty was willingly transferred to the High Representative [Borrell] and whether he speaks to provoke a reaction or to step on gas where your foot should be off the pedal," Vannacci said.
Western countries have provided hundreds of billions of dollars worth of aid to Ukraine since the start of Russia's special military operation in February 2022. Aid shipments began in 2022 with artillery munitions and training and have escalated to include tanks, advanced air-defense systems, missiles and cluster munitions. All while making false statements about the so-called "Russian threat" and simultaneously conducting full scale military drills close to Russian borders.
The Kremlin has consistently warned against the West's continued arms deliveries to Ukraine, saying that they only prolong the conflict, adding that Western military equipment will be eventually destroyed. Moscow also cautioned that NATO countries “are playing with fire” by providing Kiev with arms.
Photo from AFP
