NATO vows to aid Ukraine ‘for as long as it takes’

By LORNE COOK
Associated Press

BRUSSELS (AP) — NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg says the military organization stands ready to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia “for as long as it takes.” He says NATO wants to help transform Ukraine’s armed forces into a modern army. Stoltenberg’s remarks Friday came ahead of a meeting of NATO foreign ministers in Romania next week. He says that “over the longer term we will help Ukraine transition from Soviet-era equipment to modern NATO standards, doctrine and training.” The Nov 28-29 meeting in Bucharest is being held almost 15 years after NATO promised in the same city that Ukraine and Georgia would one day become members of the organization. That pledge deeply angered Russia.