NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg warned in an interview published on Sunday that a quick end to the war in Ukraine should not be expected as the Ukrainian military is launching a counteroffensive to push back Russian forces. , AFP notes.

“Most wars last longer than expected at the time of their beginning,” Jens Stoltenberg emphasized in an interview with the German media group Funke.

“That’s why we have to prepare for a long war in Ukraine,” he added.

The war began in February 2022, when Russian armed forces invaded Ukraine. Since mid-June, the Ukrainian army has been conducting a counteroffensive to repel Russian troops in the south and east, but this operation has only liberated a limited number of settlements.

“We all want a quick peace,” continued Jens Stoltenberg.

“But at the same time, we have to admit (this): if President (Volodymyr) Zelenskyi and the Ukrainians stop fighting, their country will no longer exist,” the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance also stated.

“If President (Vladimir) Putin and Russia lay down their arms, we will have peace,” he said.

Regarding Ukraine’s desire to join NATO, Jens Stoltenberg assured: “There is no doubt that sooner or later Ukraine will join NATO.”

Kyiv approached NATO during the Alliance summit in July, he explained.

“When this war ends, we will need security guarantees for Ukraine. Otherwise, history may repeat itself,” warned Jens Stoltenberg.

At the NATO summit in Vilnius, Alliance leaders agreed that Ukraine could join NATO if certain conditions were met, with American and German leaders stressing that among those conditions were reforms to protect democracy and the rule of law. (Agerpress)