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On a day marked by the Russian annexation of four Ukrainian regions, the NATO Secretary General warned that we are living in a “crucial moment”, marked by the escalation of the conflict.
“Putin has mobilized hundreds of thousands more troops, engaged in irresponsible talk about nuclear weapons, and has now illegally annexed more Ukrainian territory. set, this represents the most serious escalation since the beginning of the war”, said Jens Stoltenberg this Friday during a press conference.
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Asked by journalists if NATO will encourage Ukraine to recover the annexed regions, Stoltenberg limited himself to saying that the country has the right to reconquer all of its occupied territory. He reinforced that the regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Zaporyzhia and Kherson “are Ukrainian lands”, as well as Crimea, a peninsula annexed in 2014. “This is the largest attempt to annex European territory by force since the Second World War. About 15% of Ukraine’s territory, an area roughly the size of Portugal, was illegally taken by Russia at gunpoint“.
As for the Ukrainian president’s request for rapid NATO membership, Stoltenberg said that any democracy in Europe has the right to apply for NATO membership, however, recalling that approval it must be a “unanimous” decision among all member states.
The NATO secretary general blamed Russia for prolonging the conflict, adding that “it is in the military alliance’s interest to make sure that President Putin does not win the war. “If Russia stops fighting, there will be peace. If Ukraine stops fighting, she will cease to exist as a sovereign and independent nation in Europe”, he concluded.
Source: Observadora
