NATO activates nuke deterrent, calls on China to restrain from supporting Russia economically, militarily

North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday called on China to restrain from helping Russia economically and militarily and said that NATO has activated chemical, biological, and nuclear defence elements in wake of the threats being issued by Russia of changing the nature of the conflict using biological weapons in Ukraine.

Speaking at the NATO Summit to address Russia's invasion that marked a month today, Stoltenberg expressed his concern over the possibility of using biological weapons by Russia in Ukraine.

"We are concerned because Russia might use the pretext of NATO preparing for a biological attack to carry out the same in Ukraine. If it happens, it'll change the nature of the conflict. It won't just affect Ukraine but also NATO countries,"he cautioned the member countries.

He stated, "NATO allies have agreed to supply weapons to Ukraine to tackle such attacks. We have activated our chemical, biological, and nuclear defence elements".

However, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy in the summit said that Ukraine has already shown what it's capable of and how it can contribute to security in Europe and the world.

He said that the NATO alliance is yet to prove what it is ready to do to protect people. In a virtual address, Zelensky said, "NATO has yet to show what the Alliance can do to save people. To show that this is truly the most powerful defence association in the world. And the world is waiting. And Ukraine is very much waiting, for real action."

He said that NATO can still prevent the deaths of Ukrainians from Russian attacks. He said "Ukraine is asking for only 1 per cent of NATO's jets and tanks to help it defend itself from Russian aggression. We can't just buy them. Such a supply directly depends only on NATO's decisions, on political decisions, by the way."

NATO promotes democratic values and enables members to consult and cooperate on defence and security-related issues to solve problems, build trust and, in the long run, prevent conflict and the NATO is also committed to the peaceful resolution of disputes, according to NATO's official website.

( With inputs from ANI )

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