NATO responds to Russia's extensive attacks on Ukraine with extraordinary council meeting

The NATO-Ukraine Council will hold an ambassadorial-level meeting on Wednesday. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg initiated the meeting in response to the extensive attacks by Russia on Ukraine's civilian infrastructure.

"NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will convene a NATO-Ukraine Council meeting at the ambassadorial level on Wednesday, January 10 (...) on the recent Russian missile and drone attacks," this information was relayed on Thursday through the X portal by the North Atlantic Alliance spokesperson, Dylan White. He emphasized that the meeting would occur at Kyiv's request.

Earlier, a Ukrainian army representative, Gen. Valeriy Zaluzhny, reported that the Russian army carried out attacks on Ukraine using 99 different types of missiles on Tuesday. He noted that they managed to neutralize 72 targets: 10 out of 10 launched Kinzhal hypersonic missiles, 3 out of 3 maneuvering Kalibr missiles, and 59 out of 70 maneuvering missiles of the Ch-101, Ch-555, Ch-55 type fired at Ukraine. In addition, all 35 of 35 Shahed combat drones were intercepted.

A platform for crisis consultation

Formed at the Alliance summit in Vilnius in July 2023, the NATO-Ukraine Council is an institution primarily serving as a platform for crisis consultations between NATO and Kyiv. Individual members of the Alliance, together with Ukraine, participate in the Council's meetings as equal parties. This institution succeeded the NATO-Ukraine Commission, which operated from 1997 to 2023.