I want Ukraine to be able to push back Putin’s soldiers

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the NATO allies would like the Ukrainian army to liberate new territories of Ukraine and “throw back President Putin’s soldiers.” Only this, in his opinion, can create conditions for future peace negotiations between Ukraine and Russia. Kyiv should decide when and under what conditions such negotiations can begin, and NATO should be ready to help Ukraine “as much as necessary.” Stoltenberg said this in an interview with the Ukrainian service of Radio Liberty.

“We must support Ukraine, as it is in the interests of our security – to show that President Putin is not winning in Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said.

According to the NATO Secretary General, the current war in Ukraine has become a “logistics battle” and a “war of attrition”, in which the organization of supplies of ammunition, weapons and materials to the front line plays an extremely important role. According to him, the countries that support Ukraine cannot allow the depletion of their own stocks, so they increase the production of weapons.

According to Stoltenberg, in the ranks of the Russian military there is a low morale, combat equipment and training are also not at the highest level. However, Russia has demonstrated the ability to introduce tens of thousands of new fighters into battle, even at the cost of heavy losses, so the Russian army cannot be underestimated.

Stoltenberg was skeptical about the possibility of freezing the conflict, said that it is necessary to strive to ensure that this does not happen, and Ukraine has achieved success on the battlefield – that will bring success at the negotiating table. Stoltenberg did not directly answer the question whether it is possible to liberate the annexed Crimea by military means and whether NATO is ready to support such an operation, but he repeated the thesis that the Allies support Ukraine’s right to self-defense and will do so as long as necessary.

Recently, there have been discussions about the possibility of a Ukrainian counteroffensive in the spring of this year, its possible course and consequences. In Kyiv, confirming preparations for a counteroffensive, they warn that it should not be treated as a decisive bet. Stoltenberg emphasized that the question of when to start an offensive and how to conduct it should be decided by the Ukrainian command on the ground.