Speaking at the Munich Security Conference, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stressed that, one year since Russia’s full-fledged invasion of Ukraine, President Putin is not planning for peace but for more war.

The Secretary General said, "we must give Ukraine what they need to win and prevail as a sovereign, independent nation in Europe."

The Secretary General argued that even if the war ends tomorrow, our security environment has changed for the long term. He said that the Kremlin wants a different Europe, where Russia controls neighbours. “We also know that Beijing is watching closely, to see the price Russia pays, or the reward it receives for its aggression,”  Stoltenberg said, stressing that the war in Ukraine demonstrates that security is global, rather than regional, and defence is not optional. 

The Secretary General also stressed the importance of resilience. “Not so long ago, many argued that importing Russian gas was purely an economic issue,” he said, adding that “we should not make the same mistakes with China and other authoritarian regimes.”

Finally, Secretary General Stoltenberg highlighted that, “the most important lesson from the war in Ukraine is that North America and Europe must stand together,” stressing that “without NATO, there is no security in Europe.”  (ILKHA)