Stoltenberg names NATO's key mistake regarding war in Ukraine

Stoltenberg named NATO's key mistake regarding the war in Ukraine Margarita Voloshina

Former NATO Secretary General Admits Big Mistake of the Alliance Regarding Ukraine/Collage 24 Channel, illustrative photoMore interesting audio newsListen00:0000:511.25×1.25xAudio synthesized using AI.More Audio NewsTurn off

The failure to provide Ukraine with significant military support made it easier for Russia to launch a full-scale invasion. This should be a lesson for all partners for the future.

This opinion was voiced by former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in an interview with Spiegel. In his opinion, partners must admit that they are investing in military force not to wage war, but to prevent it.

Former NATO Secretary General Admits Major Mistake of the Alliance

As Stoltenberg noted, this lesson must be learned, because otherwise, neither Russia nor anyone else will take the North Atlantic Alliance seriously. According to him, NATO saw that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin was becoming increasingly aggressive.

That is why, Stoltenberg notes, NATO members strengthened their defenses after the illegal annexation of Crimea. This is the first time since the end of the Cold War that they deployed combat troops on the eastern flank of the Alliance. Therefore, the former Secretary General assures that the allies did not turn a blind eye to the Russian threat.

Despite this, the former NATO Secretary General still believes that former German Chancellor Angela Merkel's strategy 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 outbreak of hostilities in Donbas, we continued to meet in the NATO-Russia Council. The last time was in January 2022, he said.

Earlier, he admitted that he regretted not providing Ukraine with enough weapons on time. He also said that he took his share of responsibility for this. According to him, before the full-scale invasion, NATO was “very afraid of the consequences” of military aid.