If the leader of the Russian regime, Vladimir Putin, wins the war in Ukraine, it will make the world more dangerous, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at the NATO public forum on Tuesday.
In his view, if Putin wins the war in Ukraine, it will be dangerous because it will send a signal that authoritarian leaders, using military force and violating international law, can conquer other countries and get what they want.
“We will become even more vulnerable. It is in our security interests to support Ukraine. That is why I am pleased with the strong support from NATO allies to Ukraine. I would like to add that the allies are investing more in defense. The latest data was published a couple of days ago. In Europe and Canada, defense spending has increased by 8.3%,” Stoltenberg said, emphasizing that the alliance members should continue to support Ukraine as long as it is necessary.
Asked whether he was concerned that the war in Ukraine could become a “frozen conflict”, the NATO secretary general said that wars are by their nature unpredictable and usually last longer than expected. According to him, the only answer to this situation is to continue supporting Ukraine and increase this support.
It has already been written that Turkey has agreed to submit the protocol on Sweden’s admission to NATO to the parliament for ratification as soon as possible. On the eve of the NATO summit, on July 10, Stoltenberg met with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristerson in Vilnius, hoping at the last moment to persuade Ankara to drop its objections to Sweden’s admission to the alliance.
At NATO’s public forum, Stoltenberg emphasized that Sweden will become a full member of the alliance. In his opinion, it will benefit Sweden, Turkey, the entire alliance, as well as the Baltic region. The NATO Secretary General explained that the task of protecting the Baltic region will become much easier with Sweden joining the alliance.
“This is important for the entire alliance, but especially for the Baltic region. This is a historic decision, a historic moment and a historic summit,” Stoltenberg said.
We already wrote that today and tomorrow, July 12, the NATO summit is taking place in Vilnius. The summit will be an important reference point in the implementation of the decisions of the 2022 NATO Madrid Summit.
Vilnius will decide on further steps in strengthening the deterrence and defense posture, including the alliance’s eastern flank. At the NATO Vilnius summit, it is also planned to approve the new, detailed defense plans of the alliance, as well as to decide on the need to increase member states’ expenses for defense.
One of the priorities of the upcoming summit will be strengthening NATO’s long-term political relations with Ukraine, as well as strengthening NATO’s practical support. Leaders of NATO member states and governments also plan to discuss Ukraine’s path to NATO membership. The summit will also discuss the involvement of NATO’s like-minded partners in mitigating global security risks.
2023-07-11 07:41:32
#Stoltenberg #warns #consequences #Russia #wins #war #Ukraine
