NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg spoke in favor of an additional supply of weapons to Ukraine, the dpa agency reported on Friday. “It may seem like a paradox, but military support for Ukraine is the shortest way to peace,” the Norwegian politician said in an interview with dpa at the end of the year.

Russian President Vladimir Putin must be convinced that he will not achieve his goal of taking control of Ukraine, he said.

Stoltenberg went on to say that then there could be “a peaceful solution through negotiations, which will ensure the establishment of Ukraine as a democratic and independent state.”

NATO Secretary General did not hesitate to say that, in his opinion, recent attacks by Ukrainians on some military facilities in Russia are completely legal.

“Every country has the right to defend itself — and so does Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said, adding that the Ukrainian attacks must be seen in context. In this context, massive Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure aimed at depriving Ukrainians of water, heat and electricity in the dead of winter, he explained.

Regarding the possibility of providing Ukraine with medium-range missiles, Stoltenberg noted that between the allies and Ukraine “a dialogue is ongoing regarding certain types of missile systems”.

He also noted that earlier NATO allies supplied Ukraine with long-range systems. For example, HIMARS missile launchers, long-range artillery and drones, Stoltenberg said.

(source: Agerpres)