NATO on the Counterattack: This Is Not the Beginning of the End of the War

Stoltenberg assessed the success of the Ukrainian military during the counteroffensive in Kharkiv and Kherson regions. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg believes that the Ukrainian troops’ counteroffensive does not mean the beginning of the end of the war. He said this on the air of the BBC radio station. “Of course, it is extremely encouraging to see that the AFU was able to recapture territory, as well as strikes in the rear of the Russian troops. At the same time, we must understand that this is not the beginning of the end of the war, we must be prepared for a long road,” he said. In an interview with Foreign Policy, however, Stoltenberg said that successes on the front were encouraging and boosted morale across Ukraine. “These successes are certainly due not only to their own courage, but also to the fact that NATO allies and partners have provided unprecedented support for months in the form of ammunition, weapons and various means. Now it makes a difference on the battlefield every day,” the NATO secretary general said. He reminded that the Russian Federation still controls 20 percent of Ukraine’s territory and has considerable military power. According to the Ministry of Defense, the AFU in the course of the counterattack liberated 388 settlements in the Kharkiv region with 150 thousand inhabitants. An area of 8.5 thousand square kilometers was de-occupied.