NATO vows to back Ukraine 'as long as it takes' at Tallinn meeting

Western military aid is making a crucial difference to Ukraine's position, according to officials discussing the war at a NATO Military Committee meeting, who said they would support Ukraine for as long as it takes.
"The ammunition, equipment and training that allies and other nations are delivering are all making a real difference on the battlefield," said NATO military committee chairman Admiral Rob Bauer, referring to the latest Ukrainian successes in pushing back Russian troops.
"With its successes on the ground and online, Ukraine has fundamentally changed modern warfare," he told those gathered in Tallinn, pointing to military and civilian cooperation.
Ukrainians have been very creative with the use of the weapons systems that they had been given, he added. "They used them in a way sometimes that we actually usually do not normally do."
The meeting was held as Ukraine recaptures territory in a counteroffensive in the east of the country, pushing back Russian forces.
Bauer said NATO would support Ukraine for "as long as it takes. Winter is coming but our support shall remain unwavering."
Meanwhile as Western aid proves crucial, the political will to keep sending it must not falter, said Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas earlier on Saturday.
"The ongoing counteroffensive proves that military aid takes Ukraine closer to victory and peace. Our focus must be scaling up our aid and weapons deliveries to push back the Russian aggression as soon as possible," Kallas said.
She slammed the "genocidial war against Ukraine right at NATO's doorstep," calling it "the most serious security crisis of our generation."
She said the recent operational defeat of Russia in Kharkiv is a "sign of the Ukrainian grip and astuteness. It shows the effectiveness of Western aid and advice."
Estonia had contributed up to 0.8% of its economic output to support Ukraine and would maintain it "for as long as it takes," she said.
Estonia's army chief, Martin Herem, also called on his colleagues from the other 29 NATO countries to continue helping Ukraine.
"If we want to preserve the world order as we know it, Ukraine must win. As chief of defence, we must push for significant and continued military assistance - either in form of material support, training or other relevant help," said the lieutenant general and host military commander of the army of the Baltic EU and NATO country that borders Russia.
"We have all realized that this is not a sprint, but a marathon," Herem said.
The NATO Military Committee is made up of the chiefs of staff of the 30 NATO countries. It advises the North Atlantic Council, NATO's highest political body, on military matters.
One focus of the two-day conference in Tallinn is the implementation of the decisions of the NATO summit in Madrid.
For the first time, the defence chiefs of Finland and Sweden are taking part in the conference as invited guests. The two Nordic EU countries applied for admission to NATO after Russia's attack on Ukraine.