NATO sees Russia's victory as 'tragedy'
(Baonghean.vn) - According to RT, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that Moscow's dominance in the conflict with Kiev would make the US-led bloc "more vulnerable".
Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on November 10 that a Russian victory in the conflict with Ukraine would also affect NATO security. He added that NATO would continue to support Kiev with weapons and ammunition to avoid a “dangerous” outcome.
At a joint press conference with German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius in Berlin, Mr. Stoltenberg said that Washington and its allies and partners are supporting Ukraine not only because they “agreed” to do so at many conferences, but also because “doing so serves our interests.”
“We must remember and understand that if Russian President Vladimir Putin wins in Ukraine, it will be a tragedy for the Ukrainian people, but it will also be dangerous for us,” Mr. Stoltenber said, adding that a Russian victory would encourage “authoritarian leaders” to use force and “violate international law” to “get what they want.”
“That would make us more vulnerable,” Mr. Stoltenberg said, adding that he “trusts that North America and Europe will continue to support Ukraine together” and that this is the only way to achieve “a negotiated peaceful solution to this conflict.”
“We know that the stronger Ukraine is on the battlefield, the stronger it is at the negotiating table,” Mr. Stoltenberg said.
The NATO Secretary General's comments came as the Pentagon warned that military aid to Kiev was about to run out if US lawmakers did not approve a new funding package for Ukraine.
Kiev has repeatedly rejected any talks with Moscow, demanding that Russia withdraw all its troops from all territories it claims as its own. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky reiterated that demand in an interview with Reuters this week, adding that, if necessary, Kiev would continue the fight even without US aid.
Mr Zelensky has dismissed media reports that Western backers of Ukraine were allegedly encouraging Kiev to enter peace talks with Moscow. “This will not happen,” he said last week at a joint press conference with EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
In October 2022, Mr. Zelensky signed a decree banning Ukraine from holding any negotiations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Russia has repeatedly signaled its readiness to enter into negotiations with Kiev, but stressed that such talks must take into account Moscow’s security interests and “realities on the ground.” In the fall of 2022, four former Ukrainian territories, including the two Donbass republics, officially joined Russia after a series of referendums.
Kiev has declared the votes "fake" and has sought to regain control of the four territories, as well as Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014 after another referendum.