NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday stressed the importance of continued NATO Allied support to Ukraine as it faces Russia’s war of aggression.
Addressing the Financial Times’ Global Boardroom event via video link, Mr Stoltenberg said the conflict would likely enter a quieter phase over winter but that Russia is showing no sign of seeking a peaceful end to the conflict.
“Russia is trying to freeze the conflict” in order to “regroup and launch a bigger offensive later on because Ukraine now has the momentum,” Mr Stoltenberg said. He reiterated that Ukraine would decide on the timing and contents of any negotiation with Russia.
“The more we want a peaceful solution, the more urgent it is that we provide military support to Ukraine,” he said. Mr Stoltenberg spoke to the Editor of the Financial Times, Roula Khalaf.
Asked about the possibility of peace agreements, Stoltenberg said that “Russia has shown no sign of engaging in negotiations which are respecting the sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Ukraine,” but insisted that it was not up to Brussels to decide.
“It has to be Ukraine that decides when and the conditions for negotiations,” he said at the event.
Back in Moscow, Russian President Vladimir Putin signalled that he was preparing for a prolonged war, acknowledging that “this might be a long process”.
Russia is hoping to freeze the conflict in the hope that in 2024 the U.S. will get a new administration which might scale-back support for Ukraine. While support has been generally non-partisan so far, there are the the usual extremists in the Republican Party (eg Rand Paul) who want to curtail support. Although many countries have contributed funds and weapons to Ukraine, those provided by the U.S. dwarfs these.
If U.S. support for Ukraine ended, then it’s chances of recovering all its territory would be greatly diminished.
Putin can’t win ,and yet he keeps been a right pain in the 🤗
Its important Ukraine keeps up the tempo during winter and keep stretching the Russians.
A little off topic but 10 months in and I do wonder when Ukraine will get western jets, having them for the winter could have really helped reduce pressure on ground forces. Even if there was a ceasefire Ukraine needs an airforce and it will be made up of Western aircraft. We’ve pretty much supplied them with everything else.
He’s right. I just hope Ukraine can push them back
What is currently happening in Ukraine is most interesting in that the situation on the ground has turned into a huge game of poker. The Ukraine did just that when it bluffed Moscow into thinking that its main objective would be to recapture Kherson, then after Moscow relocated the vast majority of its best troops there, the Ukraine fixed them into place, by launching a weak attack and then cutting the bridges across the river, allowing it to launch its counter attack in Kharkiv, where in 48 hours they pushed back the Russians around 50 miles (since then they have gained… Read more »