The head of NATO has said Ukraine’s allies need to prepare for “a long war,” warning that if Kyiv stops fighting “their country will no longer exist.”
Speaking in an interview with Germany's Funke media group published on Sunday, Jens Stoltenberg also said Ukraine would become a member of the military alliance “eventually.”
“Most wars last longer than expected when they first begin,” he said. “Therefore, we must prepare ourselves for a long war in Ukraine.”
“We are all wishing for a quick peace. But at the same time, we must recognize: if President Zelensky and the Ukrainians stop fighting, their country will no longer exist.
“If President Putin and Russia lay down their weapons, we will have peace.”
The war began in February 2022 when Moscow launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine, bringing war back to Europe for the first time in decades. It is now in its 19th month.
Kyiv launched its counteroffensive in June, pushing back against entrenched Russian positions in the south and east, but it has made limited gains so far, AFP reports.
On Ukraine's ambitions to join the alliance, Stoltenberg said: “There is no doubt that Ukraine will eventually be in NATO.”
Kyiv had “moved closer to NATO” at a summit of the alliance in July, he said.
“When this war ends, we need security guarantees for Ukraine. Otherwise, history could repeat itself,” he added.
More on this topic British Defence Intelligence Update Ukraine 17 September 2023 Latest from the British Defence Intelligence.
At the July summit in Vilnius, NATO leaders agreed that Ukraine could join the alliance once certain conditions are met, and US and German officials made it clear that these would include Kyiv carrying out reforms to protect democracy and the rule of law.
iiJokerzace on September 17th, 2023 at 16:27 UTC »
Crazy that today, after all mankind has been through, we are still talking about major wars with each other.
porncrank on September 17th, 2023 at 15:55 UTC »
Ok. Is there anything we can do to... um... shorten it?
anna_pescova on September 17th, 2023 at 15:13 UTC »
Refreshing to hear that they finally expect and are preparing for a "Long War". Until now nobody was prepared to talk about the obvious probability. Putin has no interest in ending the war soon. He is far too ideologically committed to the invasion. He would have to acknowledge that he has failed to achieve his key objectives. He will never admit this. So long as the war continues, Putin is protected by increased patriotic urges to support the motherland when it is in peril, and also the opportunities war provides for censorship and tight control of dissent.
Without the war the consequences of his folly will be exposed. His legacy would not be expanded territory, but a contracted economy, continued international isolation, a diminished reputation, and a multitude of disillusioned followers, bereaved families and traumatised veterans with nothing to remember with pride. Staying in the war was the whole point of mobilisations. Without it, shortages of manpower meant that Russian forces would struggle to keep it going. The first lot of mobilised troops were dumped in the front line to hold positions under threat from Ukrainian advances.
Putin’s aim remains to hold what he has for the next few weeks so that when winter starts, there may be a lull in advances allowing some respite for his troops. If Ukraine can be denied victory next year then Putin can hope, as he has hoped from the start, that Kyiv will start to buckle under the weight of the economic pressures caused by his strikes against critical infrastructure. Yet even if this leads Ukraine's international backers, to hint to Moscow to explore a negotiated peace, he will still only want peace on his terms. Otherwise it is not worth having.