The Limited Times

Now you can see non-English news...

Putin is preparing Russia for a long war in Ukraine, NATO warns

2022-12-19T12:59:12.365Z


Almost ten months after the start of the war in Ukraine and despite the setbacks suffered in recent months, Jens Stoltenberg, head of NATO, invites us not to underestimate Putin who, according to him, is preparing his country for a long war.


"There is no indication that Putin has given up on his goal of controlling Ukraine," Jens Stoltenberg, head of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), warned on Monday.

Nearly ten months after Moscow's invasion of its pro-Western neighbor, Ukrainian forces inflicted a succession of defeats on the Kremlin that freed entire swaths of territory.

However, Jens Stolenberg believes that Russia has not said its last word.

“We should not underestimate Russia.

It is preparing for a long war,” he said in an interview with AFP on Friday.

Putin, “ready to be in this war for a long time”

"We see that they are mobilizing more forces, that they are ready to take a lot of losses as well, that they are trying to get access to more weapons and ammunition," he said.

We must understand that President Putin is ready to be in this war for a long time and to launch new offensives.

»

NATO countries, led by the United States, have provided Ukraine with billions of dollars worth of weapons that have helped it stand up to Russian forces.

Stoltenberg calls for this effort to continue until President Vladimir Putin understands that he “cannot win on the battlefield”.

Push Putin to the negotiating table

"The most likely is that this war will end at the negotiating table, like most wars," argues Jens Stoltenberg.

Any solution must ensure that "Ukraine prevails as a sovereign and independent nation", he insisted.

"The quickest way to do this is to support them militarily, so that President Putin understands that he cannot win on the battlefield, but has to sit down and negotiate in good faith."

After the setbacks suffered on the ground, Moscow launched waves of missile and drone strikes against civilian energy infrastructure.

According to US reports, Washington is finalizing plans to send its most advanced Patriot missile batteries to Ukraine, which will add to other Western air defense systems already supplied to kyiv.

Jens Stoltenberg said a "discussion is underway" for the delivery of the Patriots, but he stressed that NATO countries must ensure that there is enough ammunition and spare parts for the weapons sent so far continue to function.

Deliver weapons and ensure they are functional

“We have a dialogue among allies on additional systems, but it is becoming increasingly important to ensure that all systems that are delivered are functional,” he explained.

Ukraine's arms demands have depleted allies' member stocks and sparked fears that the Alliance's defense industries may not be able to produce enough.

"We are increasing our production for this specific purpose, so that we can both replenish our own stocks for deterrence and defense and continue to provide support to Ukraine in the long term", recalled Jens Stoltenberg.

“The most dangerous security crisis since 1945”

Putin's invasion of Ukraine was a shock to the West.

It forced NATO to make its biggest adjustment since the end of the Cold War by massively reinforcing its eastern flank.

Finland and Sweden were pushed to join NATO.

"This is the most dangerous security crisis we have experienced in Europe since the Second World War," said Jens Stoltenberg.

It's a pivotal moment."

The NATO chief clarified that despite a recent drop in Putin's nuclear threats, the Alliance remains “vigilant and will constantly monitor what they are doing”.

"Nuclear rhetoric, with references to the potential use of nuclear weapons, is reckless and dangerous," insisted the NATO chief.

"His goal is of course to dissuade us from supporting Ukraine, but he will not achieve that."

The mandate of Jens Stoltenberg at the head of NATO, extended for a year in March, comes to an end at the end of 2023. The former Norwegian prime minister, aged 63, did not specify whether he would definitively leave his position. post next year.

"I have no other plans," he said simply.

He did not wish to comment on the calls made by certain allies in favor of the appointment of a woman to succeed him, which would be a first for the Alliance.

“My objective is to carry out my responsibilities as Secretary General of NATO in such a way that the Alliance remains united,” he declared.

"That's my only concern and then I leave it to the Heads of State and Government to decide who will succeed me."

World

War in Ukraine: Washington castigates Putin's "irresponsible" remarks on nuclear weapons

World

War in Ukraine: Will drone attacks on Russian soil “change the game”?

  • World

  • War in Ukraine

  • Vladimir Poutine

  • Russia

  • NATO

  • Weapons

Source: 20minf

All news articles on 2022-12-19

You may like

Trends 24h

News/Politics 2024-03-27T16:45:54.081Z

Latest

© Communities 2019 - Privacy

The information on this site is from external sources that are not under our control.
The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.