Brussels: Europe and the Arabs
 A few hours before the start of the meetings of NATO foreign ministers scheduled for today and tomorrow in the Romanian capital, Bucharest, Canadian Foreign Minister Melanie Jolie said, "NATO" remains firmly committed to supporting Ukraine during the difficult winter, despite the end of the conflict with Russia is still out of sight."
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is chairing the meetings of heads of diplomacy in NATO countries, amid expectations that the meeting will agree to provide more support to Ukraine to confront Russian aggression.
Jolie added - in a statement to the British newspaper "The Guardian" - "Russia is not at the negotiating table at all, so our goal now is only to strengthen Ukraine's position on the ground through military assistance, intelligence exchange and financial support."
And she added, "Thus, we will strengthen the position of the Ukrainians at the negotiating table, because there will be a diplomatic solution in the end, which is the case for every dispute, but we are not there yet."
Despite reports that Western allies are increasingly concerned about continued shipments of costly weapons and worried about how quickly Ukraine is using up its ammunition, Jolie said there is strong support for Ukraine ahead of NATO meetings later on Tuesday.
She referred to Canada's pledge of C$500m (£310m) in new military aid to Ukraine, which was announced at the G20 summit in Jakarta.
"Russia's targeting of civilian infrastructure in Ukraine, especially power plants, has led to increased support from allies," Jolie said.
"We need to make sure that Ukrainians can get through this difficult winter," she said, adding that energy ministers from NATO countries are looking for solutions to the looming energy crisis.
 NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg used to hold a proactive press conference on the eve of the high-level meetings to talk about the most important points that would be raised on the meeting table. During the press conference held in Brussels, where the military alliance is based, Stoltenberg sent strong messages and focused on criticizing the Russian president and warning of the repercussions of what is happening in Ukraine. "We will confront Russia's illegal war in Ukraine, which continues to threaten peace and security in the Euro-Atlantic region," said the NATO chief.
President Putin is failing in Ukraine and he is responding with even more brutality. Waves of deliberate missile attacks on cities and civilian infrastructure. Depriving Ukrainians of heat, light and food.
This is a terrible start to winter for Ukraine. These are also trying times for the rest of Europe and around the world. With the rise in energy and food prices.