NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned that a quick end to the war in Ukraine should not be expected in an interview published on Sunday, as the Ukrainian army is engaged in a counter-attack. -offensive to repel Russian forces.
“Most wars last longer than was anticipated when they started,” Stoltenberg said in this interview with the 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, but this operation has only made it possible to recapture a limited number of localities.
“We all want a quick peace,” Mr. Stoltenberg continued. But at the same time we must recognize [ceci] : if the president [Volodymyr] Zelensky and the Ukrainians stop fighting, their country will no longer exist. »
“If the 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 that “there is no doubt that sooner or later Ukraine will be in NATO.”
kyiv also 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.