BRUSSELS, February 21. /TASS/. The withdrawal of Ukrainian armed forces from Avdeyevka demonstrates that there is an extremely difficult situation on the battlefield, but NATO will continue supporting Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during a press conference in Brussels.

"Ukraine’s withdrawal from Avdeyevka shows that the situation on the battlefield is extremely difficult, but the Ukrainians have exceeded expectations over and again, and NATO continues to stand with Ukraine," he said.

This has become the first reaction to the loss of Avdeyevka by Ukrainian forces from NATO officials.

At the same time, Stoltenberg underscored, in the past few days, NATO countries have announced new aid packages for Ukraine worth billions of Euros, including air defense, artillery and ammunition.