NATO Secretary General: War will end if we provide Ukraine with maximum weapons

The West can end the war in Ukraine by increasing military assistance to Kyiv, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at an event organized by the German Marshall Fund on September 19.

“Today, President Putin believes he can achieve his goals on the battlefield. And he believes that he can wait us out. That is why he continues to wage his brutal war. I do not believe that we can change Putin’s mind. But I do believe that we can change his calculus,” emphasized Stoltenberg.

The quickest way to end the war is to lose it, but such a decision would lead not to peace but to Russian occupation, the NATO Secretary General stated. Stoltenberg said Putin’s plans can only be changed by providing Ukraine with as much weaponry as possible. Then, the Kremlin leader will abandon the idea that he can forcibly seize Ukrainian territories.

“The paradox is that the more weapons for Ukraine we are able to deliver, the more likely it is that we can reach a peace and end to the war. And the more credible our long-term military support, the sooner the war will end,” he added.

In a recent interview with The Times, the NATO Secretary General also stated that NATO allies would not become parties to the war if the West allowed Ukraine to strike deep into Russia with long-range weapons.

“There have been many red lines declared by him [Putin] before, and he has not escalated, meaning also involving Nato allies directly in the conflict. He has not done so, because he realises that Nato is the strongest military alliance in the world,” Stoltenberg said.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg will step down at the end of September. The North Atlantic Treaty Organization will be led by Mark Rutte, the former Prime Minister of the Netherlands.