“It may sound paradoxical, but military support to Ukraine is the fastest way to peace,” the Norwegian told the German news agency at the turn of the year. The background is that Russian President Vladimir Putin must be convinced that he will not achieve his goal of taking control of Ukraine. Then a peaceful solution could be negotiated that would ensure Ukraine’s continued existence as an independent democratic state.
Stoltenberg also made it clear that he considers the recent Ukrainian attacks on military targets in Russia to be perfectly legitimate. “Every country has the right to defend itself. Ukraine too,” he said. In the case of the Ukrainian attacks, the context must also be seen. These are massive Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure aimed at depriving Ukrainian citizens of water, heating and electricity in winter.
When asked if he thought it would be okay to supply Ukraine with intermediate-range missiles, Stoltenberg said there was a constant dialogue between allies and with Ukraine about specific systems. He also pointed out that NATO allies had supplied Ukraine with long-range weapon systems in the past. These include Himars missile launchers, long range artillery and drones.
(SDA)