NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says Vladimir Putin has not given up on his plans to control Ukraine and warned that everyone should “prepare for a long period” of war, The Guardian and News.ro report.

In an interview with the German news agency DPA, Stoltenberg said that “there are no signs that President Putin has changed his overall goal of this war,” which is “control over Ukraine.”

Russia mobilized “many new troops” and “demonstrated that it is ready to suffer painful losses,” he said.

“This is not the end yet. Wars are unpredictable, but we must prepare for a long period, as well as for new Russian offensives. We should not underestimate Russia,” said Jens Stoltenberg.

The head of NATO asked the allies to provide military assistance to Ukraine “to convince President Putin that he will not achieve his goal of taking control of Ukraine.”

“It may sound like a paradox, but military support for Ukraine is the fastest way to peace. We know that most wars end at the negotiating table – probably this war too – but we know that what Ukraine can achieve in these negotiations is inextricably dependent on the military situation. Therefore, if you want to achieve a peaceful solution through negotiations, which will ensure the formation of Ukraine as an independent democratic state, the best way to achieve this is to provide Ukraine with military support,” said the NATO Secretary General.

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