Putin Has Not Changed His Plans: Russia Is Preparing For a New Offensive – Stoltenberg

The NATO believes that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin has not changed his plans for war in Ukraine. The likelihood of Russia's preparations for a new offensive is growing higher, as NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in his speech at the CHEY Institute for Advanced Study in Seoul.

" No one can tell today when the war will end. But what we do know is that this is a war of aggression, this is actually a war of choice by President Putin. He decided to invade another country, a sovereign democratic state in Europe. And President Putin can end the war today. But the challenge is that we don't see any signs that President Putin and rules in Moscow are preparing for peace," Stoltenberg stressed.

Moreover, the NATO Secretary General says that currently he sees something quite opposite.

" We see the opposite. We see that they are preparing for more war, that they are mobilizing more soldiers, more than 200,000, and potentially even more than that. That they are actively acquiring new weapons, more ammunition", Stoltenberg says.

According to him, Russia is also acquiring more weapons from other authoritarian states like Iran and North Korea.

"And most of all, we have seen no sign that President Putin has changed his overall goal of this invasion that is to control a neighbour, to control Ukraine. So as long as this is the case, we need to be prepared for long haul", Stoltenberg stressed.

Putin’s victory in Ukraine will be a tragedy for the Ukrainians, but it will also be dangerous for all the civilized world, he added.

"So therefore it is so important that we continue to support Ukraine. I welcome the support from NATO Allies, from partners, and also from the Republic of Korea, and we need to be prepared”, Stoltenberg said.

The NATO Secretary General does not rule out the possibility that the war could end at the negotiating table at some point.

" But as long as President Putin believes he can win on the battlefield, he will not sit down and engage in good faith. So the paradox is that actually military support to Ukraine is the best way to achieve a peaceful negotiated solution in the war, or for the war", Stoltenberg added.