US gridlock over Ukraine aid is 'already' having consequences on the battlefield, warns Stoltenberg

The impasse in the US Congress over new assistance to Ukraine "has already had consequences" on the battlefield, Jens Stoltenberg has warned.

Transcript

00:00 The American gridlock over Ukraine aid is already having consequences on the battlefield.

00:08 That was the warning from NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg after a two-day meeting of

00:14 the alliance's defence ministers in Brussels.

00:17 Stoltenberg hopes the US Congress will soon unblock a hard-fought bill that includes a

00:22 $60 billion military and financial support for Kyiv.

00:26 But Republican opposition in the House of Representatives remains stiff and is being

00:30 influenced by presidential hopeful Donald Trump.

00:35 The fact that the US has not been able to make a decision so far has already had consequences.

00:41 It is impacting the flow of support.

00:45 To some extent, this can be compensated by increased support from other allies.

00:51 And the European allies and Canada are stepping up, are doing more.

00:56 Stoltenberg said assistance to Ukraine would be an example of transatlantic burden sharing

01:02 rather than the US working alone.

01:04 The Secretary General also warned that Putin's victory in Ukraine could set a precedent for

01:10 a Chinese invasion of Taiwan.

01:14 If President Putin wins in Ukraine, it's also a challenge for us.

01:21 It will be a message to authoritarian leaders, not only Putin, but also to President Xi,

01:28 that when they use military force, they get what they want.

01:31 What happens in Ukraine today can happen in Taiwan tomorrow.

01:37 As part of the ongoing support for Ukraine, NATO defence ministers agreed to set up a

01:42 new joint centre in Poland.

01:45 The hub will allow Ukraine's armed forces to share lessons learned from the war and train

01:50 alongside their NATO counterparts.

01:52 (crowd chattering)

01:55 (whooshing)