Stoltenberg: This War Could Drag On

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has called on allies to support Ukraine in the long term. No one can predict how soon Russia’s war with Ukraine will end, but everyone should be prepared that it could go on for long. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this in an interview with the Greek portal Capital.gr. “No one can say exactly when and how this war will end. But what we have seen is, of course, the courage and professionalism of Ukrainian soldiers. We have seen the courage of the Ukrainian political leadership with President Zelensky. And then we have seen, of course, the courage of the Ukrainian people. This, combined with the unprecedented military support of their allies and NATO partners, enabled them to stand up to the Russian invasion. And amaze the world with what the Ukrainians have accomplished. We must be prepared for a long journey. This war may last a long time, how long no one can say, but we must be ready for the long haul. Thus, I urge the allies to provide support, but also to be prepared to do it in the long term and to be supplied. Because this is more and more a war of attrition,” Stoltenberg said. According to him, the war in Ukraine was Putin’s big strategic mistake. Because everything points to Moscow’s preparations to quickly achieve its military goals, but the war has dragged on for months and there is no end in sight yet. Stoltenberg also noted that since 2014, countries such as Canada, Britain, the United States and Turkey have trained thousands of Ukrainian soldiers and provided the weapons that are now needed on the battlefield. He named NATO’s two main tasks: supporting Ukraine and preventing escalation. Earlier, European diplomat Josep Borrell also admitted that Russia’s war against Ukraine might drag on. He said that the EU should continue to provide Ukraine with weapons and put pressure on the aggressor country’s economy. Корреспондент