Jens Stoltenberg has stated that a Russian victory in Ukraine would have a significant impact on the global security system.
Jens Stoltenberg, the outgoing NATO Secretary General, has asserted that a Russian victory in the Ukraine conflict poses the greatest threat to the US-led military alliance. He has urged member states to increase their support for Ukraine.
Addressing the NATO leaders summit in Washington on Tuesday, Stoltenberg claimed that the conflict between Moscow and Kiev will have a lasting impact on the global security landscape for decades to come.
“The most significant consequence and the greatest risk would be a Russian victory in Ukraine; we cannot allow that to happen,” Stoltenberg stated in a speech marking the military bloc’s 75th anniversary.
According to him, a Russian victory would “empower” other adversaries of the military bloc, including Iran, North Korea, and China, who support Moscow and “desire NATO’s failure.”
While acknowledging the significance of the Ukraine conflict, Stoltenberg declined to discuss Ukraine’s prospects of joining NATO.
Ukraine maintains that its ongoing conflict with Russia entitles it to expedited accession to the alliance. However, NATO leadership and its member states have insisted that the country will not join while hostilities with Russia continue.
Moscow has cited Ukraine’s efforts to join NATO as a key factor leading to the conflict’s initiation in 2022.
Addressing the NATO summit, US President Joe Biden stated that Washington and other member states plan to provide Ukraine with “dozens” of additional tactical air-defense missile systems in the coming months.
The US, Germany, and Romania will each donate a new Patriot battery, while the Netherlands “and other partners” will provide components to “enable the operation of an additional Patriot battery,” according to a joint statement signed by several NATO members and Ukraine. Italy has pledged to deliver an additional SAMP-T system.
Russia has maintained that the delivery of Western weapons will lead to further escalation but ultimately fail to prevent the Russian military from achieving its objectives in the conflict.
On Tuesday, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow would pay “close attention” to any decisions announced at the NATO summit.
He reiterated that the alliance, which has repeatedly declared its intention to inflict a strategic defeat on Russia on the battlefield, “is directly involved in the Ukrainian conflict on the side of Ukraine.”