NATO sees Putin preparing for new offensive in Ukraine – Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the organization sees no signs that Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin has changed his goals for the war against Ukraine – on the contrary, the aggressors are preparing for a new offensive.

He said this during a speech at the CHEY Institute for Advanced Study in Seoul.

– “Today, no one can say when the war will end. But what we do know is that this aggressive war was provoked by Putin. He is the one who decided to invade another country, a sovereign democratic state in Europe, and he is the one who can end the war today. But the problem is that we see no signs that he and the authorities in Moscow are preparing for peace,” Stoltenberg explained.
He added that quite the opposite is currently happening – in the actions of the Russian Federation, one can see preparations for a new offensive, as they are mobilizing more and more soldiers and actively increasing the number of weapons and ammunition.

According to the Secretary General, the Russian Federation is being assisted in building up its arsenal by supplies from such authoritarian states as North Korea and Iran.

– And most importantly, we see no sign that President Putin has changed his overall goal of this invasion, which is to control his neighbor, to control Ukraine. So, as long as that is the case, we have to be prepared for a long road ahead,” Jens Stoltenberg emphasized.
He also emphasized the importance of preventing Putin from winning the war, as it would be a tragedy not only for Ukrainians but for the entire civilized world.

– That is why it is so important that we continue to support Ukraine. I welcome the support of NATO Allies, partners and the Republic of Korea, and we must be ready,” Stoltenberg urged.
The NATO Secretary General said that this war will most likely end at the negotiating table at some point.

– But what we know for sure is that what happens at that table is inextricably linked and completely dependent on the situation on the battlefield. Therefore, if we really want Ukraine to win as a sovereign, independent state in Europe, we need to support it now. As long as Putin believes that he can win on the battlefield, he will not come to the negotiating table. So the paradox is that in fact military support for Ukraine is the best way to achieve a peaceful negotiated solution to the war,” Stoltenberg summarized.
Earlier, Lithuania also stated that Russia is in a hurry to launch a second offensive against Ukraine to take advantage of the “window of opportunity” to supply heavy armored vehicles.

NSDC Secretary Oleksiy Danilov has not ruled out the possibility that the enemy could launch a second offensive on the anniversary of the invasion on February 24.