Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg admitted that the absence of significant military support for Ukraine made it much easier for Russia to launch a full-scale invasion.
In an interview with Spiegel magazine, he said that this should be a lesson for all partners in the future. “We invest in our military power not to make war, but to prevent war. Otherwise, not only Russia, but no one will take us seriously,” added the former Secretary General.
According to him, the countries of the North Atlantic Alliance saw that the ruler of the Kremlin, V. Putin, is becoming more and more aggressive, so they strengthened their defense after the illegal annexation of Crimea. “For the first time since the end of the Cold War, we have deployed combat forces on the eastern flank of the Alliance. So we did not turn a blind eye,” added the former secretary general.
At the same time, Mr. Stoltenberg still believes that the strategy of former German Chancellor Angela Merkel towards Russia is correct:
“It was right to try to build better relations with Russia after the Cold War. Even after the annexation of Crimea and the start of hostilities in Donbass, we continued to meet in the NATO-Russia Council. We last met in 2022. in January.”
In a recent interview, Mr. Stoltenberg said that he underestimated Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky because he had no idea that he would become a military leader.
Source: www.15min.lt
