In the event of a Russian victory in Ukraine, there is a “real risk” that Russian President Vladimir Putin will not stop there, warned NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Thursday in Brussels.
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“If Putin wins in Ukraine, there is a real danger that his aggression will not stop there,” Stoltenberg told the press, emphasizing the need to continue military aid to Kiev.
“Our support is not charity, but an investment in our security,” he added, while the Russian president simultaneously confirmed from Moscow that the Russian army is improving its positions on almost the entire front line in Ukraine.
EU heads of state and government will meet in Brussels on Thursday to decide, among other things, on aid to Ukraine worth 50 billion euros, which Hungary under Viktor Orban is still rejecting.
“An end to military aid to Ukraine would only prolong the war, not end it,” warned Stoltenberg.
“The only way to a just and lasting peace is to convince President Putin that he will not win on the battlefield,” he said after meeting Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico.
“And the only way to ensure that President Putin understands that he is not winning on the battlefield is to continue to support Ukraine,” he stressed.
For weeks, clouds have been gathering over Ukraine, whose military counteroffensive has failed to produce a decisive breakthrough.