NATO must prepare for a long confrontation with Russia as President Vladimir Putin shows no will for peace a year after invading Ukraine, Norway’s Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned in an interview with AFP.
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“We have to be prepared for the long term, which can take many, many years,” he warned.
“President Putin wants a different Europe, a Europe where he can control his neighbours, where he can decide what countries can do,” lamented Mr Stoltenberg, 63, in an interview he did a week before the first anniversary of the invasion of Ukraine.
After a year of fighting that claimed tens of thousands of lives on both sides, NATO fears a new Russian offensive.
The alliance’s 30 member countries are more determined than ever to ensure Ukraine’s eventual victory, he assured.
“We are here to ensure Ukraine wins this war and to provide them with the arms, ammunition and support they need,” he said.
“If President Putin wins in Ukraine, it will be a tragedy for Ukrainians. But it will also be dangerous for all of us, because he and other authoritarian leaders will be convinced that if they use military force, they can achieve their goals.”