NATO Reaffirms Commitment to Ukraine Amid Ongoing Conflict

Mon Nov 03 2025 20:55:20 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

In a recent BBC interview, Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chair of NATO's military committee, asserted that the alliance will support Ukraine until a long-lasting peace is achieved, highlighting the war's strategic failures for Russia.

NATO's Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone emphasized the military alliance's unwavering support for Ukraine during his interview with the BBC. He described the Russia-Ukraine war as a strategic failure for President Putin, underlining the unnecessary loss of life and affirming that NATO's commitment will persist until a peace agreement is reached. He acknowledged Europe's preparedness to continue backing Ukraine's defense and stressed the importance of enhancing air defense capabilities due to increased Russian threats.

NATO will stand with Ukraine up to the day in which we will have them sitting around the table for a long-lasting peace, a senior official from the military alliance has told the BBC.

Admiral Giuseppe Cavo Dragone, chair of NATO's military committee since January, added that he considered the Russia-Ukraine war was bogged down, and it was almost time to sit and talk because it's a waste of lives.

Pointing to the fact that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 had resulted in two more countries joining the Western alliance - Finland and Sweden - Adm Dragone described the war as a strategic failure for Russian President Vladimir Putin, despite recent slow, incremental advances by Russia on the battlefield.

They will not get a friendly or puppet government like in Belarus. Putin will not succeed, he stated.

When asked if European nations were prepared to keep supporting Ukraine's defense, he affirmed their readiness, stating it was beneficial that they had experienced a wake-up call and were taking charge of their own defense.

In June, NATO members agreed to raise their defense spending to 5% of GDP by 2035, following repeated calls from US President Donald Trump.

On Russia's announcement about long-range, nuclear-powered weapons, the former Italian chief of defense staff downplayed concerns, saying that NATO was a defensive nuclear alliance.

We are not threatened by them, he said. We are just ready to defend our 32 nations and our one billion people. We are a nuclear alliance.

Regarding the risk of future invasions, Adm Dragone suggested that if any occurred, it would likely be in the Baltic states, adding that NATO's Article 5 would be activated, which states an attack on one nation is an attack on all.

Asked if this included the US, he replied: Yes, because they have committed to this and have underlined that they are still in the business.

Adm Dragone highlighted that currently, air defense was NATO's top priority due to recent incursions by Russian drones into Poland and Romania. He disclosed that the alliance is working on activating a drone wall on its eastern borders within months, integrating existing air defense systems.

Despite some signs of disunity among certain NATO members regarding support for Ukraine, Adm Dragone expressed confidence in the alliance's reliability and cohesion, stating, The alliance is stronger than our adversaries, and we will stay with Ukraine up to the day that peace will break out.