NATO chief warns about protracted war in Ukraine
- 17 September, 20:59
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has warned that there will be no swift end to the Russian-Ukrainian war.
In an interview with Germany's Funke media group on Sunday, Stoltenberg said that most wars last longer than expected when they first begin, thus “we must prepare ourselves for a long war in Ukraine.”
"We are all wishing for a quick peace," Stoltenberg said.
"But at the same time we must recognize: if President Zelensky and the Ukrainians stop fighting, their country will no longer exist.”
Touching upon Ukraine’s ambitions to join the Northern Atlantic Alliance, Stoltenberg said: "There is no doubt that Ukraine will eventually be in NATO."
"When this war ends, we need security guarantees for Ukraine. Otherwise, history could repeat itself," he added.
Ukraine launched its much-anticipated counteroffensive back in June, pushing back against Russian troops in eastern Donetsk region. It should be noted that during the NATO summit in Vilnius in July, NATO leaders agreed that Ukraine would be allowed to join the military bloc once Kyiv meets all accession conditions that include carrying out reforms to protect democracy and the rule of law.
Despite being bolstered by weapons worth billions of dollars with the help of Western allies, Kyiv has said that it would be conducting slow battles to break through Russian defensive lines.
