The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization warned that the war will last as long as Ukraine is determined to fight and invited the member countries of the Alliance to increase their defense spending for the support of Kiev and clarified that the country under attack will be part of NATO “after peace comes.”
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“If Ukrainians stopped fighting, Ukraine would cease to exist.” With these words, the Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and head of the Military Alliance explained that the time of the war in Ukraine will be much longer than “anyone can predict.”
Most wars last longer than you think when they start. Therefore, we must prepare for a long war in Ukraine, Jen Stoltenberg told the German media group Funke.
According to Stoltenberg, there is only one path to peace: for Russian President Vladimir Putin to stop attacking Russia. In his statements he explained that Ukraine cannot stop resisting and repelling Moscow’s attacks, and that Western support will be present during this process.
After peace, Ukraine will need security guarantees, and there is no doubt that the country will be part of NATO
Will Ukraine join NATO when the war ends?
Increase in military spending
The head of NATO took advantage of the moment to remember the objective set as a military bloc, that member countries allocate 2% of their GDP to military spending.
At this point he recalled the moments of the Cold War when the amount for this item was much higher, a nod to history that he used as an example and motivation for it to be achieved in the present.
In times of the Cold War, when Willy Brandt or Konrad Adenauer governed, defense spending was around 4% of GDP. We achieved it then and we have to achieve it now, he assured.
Germany, the main European economy and one of the main allies of the military bloc, has not yet achieved this military spending objective; However, he said that “he is on the right track.”
“For NATO it is important that the most populous European member country meets the goal. “2% of a big pie is more than 2% of a small pie,” she added.
Stoltenberg, who was prime minister of Norway between 2005 and 2013, did not minimize the great effort it takes for a country to allocate that amount of money for weapons, military and war machinery. He explained that he understands that “it is not easy”, especially when “it is also necessary to make large disbursements in health or infrastructure projects”, however, he added that it is “something necessary”, when “tensions increase”.
With local media.
Source: France 24
