BRUSSELS 

NATO’s secretary-general announced on Thursday that the allies had delivered 98% of the combat vehicles promised to Ukraine to fight off Russian-led war.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Luxembourg’s Prime Minister Xavier Bettel after their talks, Jens Stoltenberg said that “over 1,550 armored vehicles, 230 tanks, and their equipment” had been delivered to Ukraine.

This represents 98% of the combat vehicles pledged to the country, he explained.

He also added that NATO trained a total of nine new Ukrainian armored brigades.

The troops are “well-trained, well-equipped and well-manned” which will “put Ukraine in a strong position to continue retaking occupied territory,” Stoltenberg said.

He underlined that “the best way” to achieve a peaceful negotiated solution to the war “where Ukraine is represented as a sovereign, independent nation” is to provide military aid.

Both Stoltenberg and Bettel welcomed Wednesday’s phone call between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Chinese President Xi Jinping.

At the same time, Bettel stressed that China should only play a role as a mediator if it “acknowledges that there is an aggressed country and aggressor” in the conflict.

He referred to how when it communicates about peace plans, Chinese diplomacy fails to name Russia as an aggressor.