NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg supports Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy
Oslo - One of NATO's main goals in the Ukraine conflict is preventing a "full-scale war" with Russia. Alliance Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg revealed this on Thursday (4/8/2022). "In this conflict, NATO has two tasks: to support Ukraine and prevent the war from escalating into a full-scale war between NATO and Russia," Stoltenberg said in a speech in Norway.
The head of the military bloc described the Russo-Ukrainian conflict as "the most dangerous situation in Europe since the Second World War." He added Moscow should not be allowed to win. “If Russia wins the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin will be convinced that violence will work. Then other neighboring countries might be next,” Stoltenberg said.
Since the start of Russia's military operations on February 24, Ukraine has received substantial military assistance from NATO countries, with billions of dollars worth of weapons flowing into the country. Such military aid has been repeatedly criticized by Moscow.
In July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview to RT that Ukraine was being "pumped" with Western military hardware. Lavrov asserted, "Ukraine is forced to use these weapons in an increasingly risky manner thereby preventing Kiev from taking any constructive action." In his speech on Thursday, Stoltenberg claimed Putin ultimately failed to achieve his goals, because instead of NATO reducing its presence in Eastern Europe and slowing its expansion, the alliance had become "stronger and more consolidated" with the forthcoming accessions of Sweden and Finland. "Strengthening the defenses on the eastern side of NATO is very important, amid efforts to prevent Russia's victory in Ukraine," he said.
However, he reiterated that NATO is not a "party to the conflict" and will not send troops to Ukraine. In an earlier interview with Norwegian public broadcaster NRK, the NATO chief pointed out the alliance is under no obligation to intervene in conflicts because Ukraine is not a member state. "We have a responsibility to support Ukraine, but we also have a responsibility to maintain the security of all countries for which NATO is responsible," he said.
Prior to launching its operation, Russia repeatedly said it viewed NATO's eastward expansion as a threat to its national security.
In December 2021, Moscow appealed to the United States and the alliance for legal guarantees that NATO would halt its expansion and refrain from deploying weapons systems capable of striking deep into Russian territory. However, NATO answers its members and accession candidates who decide whether to join the alliance or not.
Stoltenberg spoke at an annual camp held on the island of Utoya by the youth wing of the Norwegian Labor Party, which he led until 2014. The island made headlines in 2011, when right-wing Norwegian extremist Anders Breivik opened fire on the camp after detonating a truck bomb at an Oslo government building to distract attention. police. The massacre killed 77 people.