Stoltenberg: The war in Ukraine must not spread
On Friday, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg reiterated that NATO has a responsibility to prevent the war in Ukraine from spreading beyond the country's borders.
In an interview with the news agency AFP, he also stated that it is inappropriate to impose a no-fly zone in Ukraine.
“We have a responsibility to prevent this conflict from escalating outside Ukraine’s borders and becoming a full-scale war between Russia and NATO,” Stoltenberg said on Friday.
Major consequences
Such a no-fly zone would mean that NATO has to shoot down Russian planes that violate the flight ban, and that would, according to Stoltenberg, lead to a full-scale war between NATO and Russia.
It would also mean that NATO would have to attack Russian air defense systems not only in Ukraine but also in Belarus and Russia, he said.
The Biden administration in the USA has also ruled out a no-fly zone.
“Important role”
Stoltenberg believes that NATO’s training of tens of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, as well as the supply of military equipment, have played a very important role in Ukraine’s fight against the Russian forces.
But the most important thing is what Russian President Vladimir Putin does, he emphasized.
“The most important thing is that President Putin ends this meaningless war, withdraws all forces, and participates in sincere diplomatic attempts to find a political solution,” Stoltenberg said.
Source: © NTB Scanpix / #Norway Today / #NorwayTodayNews
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