BRUSSELS -- Russia is preparing for an extended war so NATO must get ready "for the long haul" and support Ukraine for as long as it takes, the alliance's deputy secretary general told military chiefs from across Europe on Wednesday.
Speaking at the opening of the military chiefs' meeting in Brussels, Mircea Geoana said NATO nations must invest more in defense, ramp up military industrial manufacturing and harness new technologies to prepare for future wars.
As Russia's war on Ukraine nears the one-year mark, NATO chiefs are expected to discuss how allies can expand the delivery of weapons, training and support to Ukraine in the coming months, and how they can further shore up their own defenses.
"We have no indication that [Russian President Vladimir] Putin's goals have changed," said Geoana, noting that Russia has mobilized more than 200,000 additional troops. "So we must be prepared for the long haul. 2023 will be a difficult year and we need to support Ukraine for as long as it takes."
Separately on Wednesday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine's Western backers will gather this week to discuss ways to supply heavier and more advanced weapons to help the war-ravaged country in its fight against Russia.
The Ukraine Contact Group will meet at Ramstein Air Base in Germany today and Friday. It consists of about 50 top defense officials, including U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, who work to coordinate military contributions to Ukraine.
"The main message there will be: more support, more advanced support, heavier weapons and more modern weapons," Stoltenberg said Wednesday at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. "This is a fight for our values, this is a fight for democracy, and we just have to prove that democracy wins over tyranny and oppression."
U.S. Army Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, met quietly on Tuesday with Ukraine's chief military officer, Gen. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, at an undisclosed location in southeastern Poland, near the Ukrainian border. And he is expected to relay Zaluzhnyi's concerns to the other military leaders at the meeting.
Milley's meeting with Zaluzhnyi was quickly arranged when it became clear Monday that the Ukrainian chief would not be able to attend the NATO sessions in person. He's expected to attend by video conference today.
Army Col. Dave Butler, Milley's spokesman, said the chairman planned to describe to the NATO chiefs "the tactical and operational conditions on the battlefield and what the military needs are for that."
Adm. Rob Bauer, chairman of the NATO Military Committee, told the gathering of chiefs on Wednesday that the alliance must continue to transform to meet future fights.
"The war has also shown us that you have to be able to fight tomorrow's battles, as well as yesterday's battles, today," said Bauer, who is with the Royal Netherlands Navy. "Modern warfare is just as much about bits and bots as it is about mud and blood."
He noted that about a year ago, the NATO Russia Council held its last meeting.
"Back then we were still able to sit around the same table," he said, adding that now, after Russia's brutal invasion and war in Ukraine, "the world is a different place."
NATO, he said, has proven it can quickly increase and shift its military presence when and where needed. And he echoed the commitment that the alliance is prepared to support Ukraine for as long as needed.
Putin, he said, "underestimated the scale and bravery of Ukrainian people, armed forces and leadership, and underestimated our unity and our solidarity with Ukraine." That alliance support, he said, has made a difference on the battlefield, and it will continue.
Stoltenberg told the Davos conference that it's important that Putin doesn't win the war and by supplying more equipment long-term the West will help to force him to the negotiating table. "It is very dangerous to underestimate Russia," he warned.
"Weapons, they are the way to peace," Stoltenberg said, but he added that they must come quickly.
"There is an urgent need. Time matters," he said, shortly after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy addressed the forum by video-link.
Information for this article was contributed by Lorne Cook of The Associated Press.
In this image provided by the U.S. Army, U.S. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark Milley meets with U.S. Army leaders responsible for the collective training of Ukrainians at Grafenwoehr Training Area, Grafenwoehr, Germany, on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. At left is Brig. Gen. Joseph E. Hilbert, who is the commanding general for the 7th Army Training Command. Milley visited the training site in Germany for Ukrainian forces and met with troops and commanders.(Staff Sgt. Jordan Sivayavirojna/U.S. Army via AP)
In this image taken from video and released by Russian Defense Ministry Press Service on Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu speaks as he inspects Russian troops at an undisclosed location in Ukraine. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has inspected the headquarters of the Vostok group of forces active in the zone of Russia's special military operation, the Defense Ministry said in a statement. (Russian Defense Ministry Press Service photo via AP)
Military medics give first aid to a wounded soldier near Kremenna in the Luhansk region, Ukraine, Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. (AP Photo/LIBKOS)
A NATO AWACS aircraft lands at the Baza 90 Romanian air force base in Otopeni, Romania, Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2023. Two of three NATO surveillance planes arrived at an air base near Romania's capital Tuesday where they are set to undertake regional reconnaissance missions to "monitor Russian military activity" within the 30-nation military alliance's territory. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg is pictured at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2023. The annual meeting of the World Economic Forum is taking place in Davos from Jan. 16 until Jan. 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber)