NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the fierce fighting around Bakhmut and Soledar showed the bravery of Ukrainian forces and the vital importance of stepping up military support to Ukraine, according to the NATO website.
“At this key juncture in the war, we must do even more, even faster,” he said.
Stoltenberg said it at a briefing with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Brussels on 11 January where they announced that NATO and the EU agreed to create a task force on resilience and critical infrastructure protection.
“The meeting took part one day after the signature of the third Joint Declaration on NATO-EU cooperation. The Secretary General said this partnership is more important than ever, because Russia’s brutal invasion of Ukraine has fundamentally changed our security,” according to the NATO website.
Russia hasn’t captured entire Soledar despite several claims that city has fallen – ISW
Russo-Ukrainian War. Day 321: Russian troops resume the assault on Soledar