NATO will keep arming Ukraine until Kiev decides the time is right to enter negotiations with Russia, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg declared on Thursday. The statement came after Stoltenberg\u2019s top aide seemingly suggested a deal whereby Ukraine would abandon its territorial claims in exchange for membership in the U.S.-led bloc.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking to Norwegian media, Stoltenberg said that NATO\u2019s priority is \u201cto support Ukraine militarily,\u201d adding that \u201cif you want a lasting, just peace, then military support for Ukraine is the way to get there. There is no doubt about that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt is Ukraine, and only Ukraine, that can decide when the prerequisites for negotiations are present. And who can decide, around a negotiating table, what is an acceptable solution,\u201d he continued. \u201cOur task is to support them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Stoltenberg\u2019s statement was not a radical departure from his previous rhetoric on Ukraine. The NATO chief has long insisted that Ukraine will fight until it defeats Russia or chooses to seek peace, but his latest affirmation of support came after his top aide cast doubt on the bloc\u2019s commitment to Kiev\u2019s aims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Speaking earlier this week, Stoltenberg\u2019s chief of staff, Stian Jenssen, told a conference that a solution to the conflict \u201ccould be for Ukraine to give up territory, and get NATO membership in return.\u201d Jenssen claimed that the idea was being actively discussed within NATO.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The remarks set off a wave of condemnation in Kiev, where Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky has outlawed negotiations with the Kremlin as long as Russian leader Vladimir Putin remains in power, and has promised to retake all of Ukraine\u2019s former territory \u2013 including Crimea. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
NATO issued a statement within hours insisting that its Ukraine policy had not changed, while Jenssen apologized and said that his remarks were a \u201cmistake.\u201d He also praised Ukraine\u2019s \u201cheroic effort\u201d against Russia and \u2013 contrary to what he had said only a day earlier \u2013 claimed that NATO officials were discussing \u201chow much territory Ukraine is able to take back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Ukrainian military has been locked into a counteroffensive against Russian forces since early June, with the operation aimed at pushing south through Russian defensive lines, reaching the Sea of Azov, and cutting off Russian access to Crimea. The operation has so far failed to achieve these goals, with the latest Russian figures claiming that Kiev has lost more than 43,000 troops since June, while managing to capture only a handful of hamlets and villages near Russian lines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
However, there is no sign that Kiev will seek peace in the near future. Despite reports of staggering losses on the battlefield, debates within Zelensky\u2019s cabinet are focused on whether to pour yet more men into the failing counteroffensive, or to dig in.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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