While the Ukrainian army is engaged in a counter-offensive to push back Russian forces, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned in an interview published Sunday that we should not expect a rapid end to the war in Ukraine.
“Most wars last longer than was anticipated when they started,” Jens Stoltenberg emphasized in this interview with German media group Funke. “Therefore, we must prepare for a long war in Ukraine,” he added. The war began in February 2022, when Russian armed forces invaded Ukraine. The Ukrainian army has been carrying out a counter-offensive since June to push back Russian forces in the south and east of the country, but this operation has only made it possible to retake a limited number of localities.
“We all want a quick peace,” he continued. “But, at the same time, we must recognize (this): If President (Volodymyr) Zelensky and the Ukrainians stop fighting, their country will no longer exist. » “If President (Vladimir) Putin and Russia lay down their arms, we will have peace,” he said.
As for Ukraine’s desire to join NATO, Stoltenberg assured: “There is no doubt that sooner or later Ukraine will be in NATO. » kyiv moved closer to NATO during the alliance’s summit in July, he explained. “When this war ends, we will need security guarantees for Ukraine. Otherwise, history could repeat itself,” he warned.
At the NATO summit in Vilnius, alliance leaders agreed that Ukraine could join NATO once certain conditions are met, with U.S. and German leaders stressing that among those conditions are reforms to protect the democracy and the rule of law.
