NATO Chief: Delivering Fighter Aircrafts To Ukraine Not Urgent Issue

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) BRUSSELS, Feb 14 (KUNA) -- NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg Tuesday stressed that the issue of supplying fighter jets to Ukraine is not urgent.
'The issue of aircraft is not the most urgent issue now. But it is an ongoing discussion,' he told journalists ahead of a meeting of NATO defense ministers in Brussels.
'The urgent need now is to deliver what has always been promised, to deliver the armored vehicles, the infantry fighting vehicles, the German Marders, the US Bradleys, and of course, also, the main battle tanks, the Leopards, and the other battle tanks that have been pledged,' he said.
Replying to a question if Turkiye wants to ratify Finland's membership in the Alliance before Sweden, would that be acceptable for NATO, he replied so far 28 out of 30 NATO members have already ratified the accession of both countries.
'Both Finland and Sweden are much closer and much more integrated into NATO. Therefore, the main question is not whether Finland and Sweden are ratified together. The main question is that they are both ratified as full members as soon as possible. And I'm confident that both will be full members, and are working hard to get both ratified as soon as possible,' he said.
Turkiye has said that it will ratify Finland's membership but not of Sweden's after a Danish-Swedish extremist burnt a copy of the holy Quran in front of the Turkish embassy in Stockholm in January. (end) nk.aa

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