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NATO Secretary General, Jens Stoltenberg, considered that Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine is bringing that country closer to the Atlantic Alliance, as the operability of its forces with the allies is increasing through the transfer of military equipment.
“They are getting closer to NATO when it comes to managing the different NATO systems,” Stoltenberg stressed during a conference organized by the German Marshall Fund think tank on the upcoming allied summit in Vilnius in July.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, obviously irritated with unusually frequent hand gestures, explains that the Russian forces have managed to build an extremely strong echeloned defense with a large number of anti-tank obstacles and minefields pic.twitter.com/UtZhXHlxqO
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Not in the middle of the war
Asked if he believes that the invasion of Russia in February 2022 makes it easier for Ukraine to join the Alliance, the Norwegian politician answered “yes and no.”
First, he pointed out that “everyone has realized that becoming a member in the middle of war is not on the agenda”adding that the question is really “what will happen when the war ends one way or another.”
“The war ensures that Ukraine is getting even closer to NATO,” stressed Stoltenberg, who stated that “when we start the training of pilots (Ukrainians in the handling of American F16 fighters), of course, then there will be more interoperability, they will be closer to NATO by using more and more NATO equipment.”
Stoltenberg estimated that right now Ukraine “lives in two worlds”, the former Soviet and the Western, due to the combination of military equipment they use.
In this regard, he said that at the Vilnius summit they hope to adopt a multi-year plan for the allies to help Kiev “in the transition from Soviet-era doctrines and equipment standards to NATO doctrines, equipment, and standards.”
Likewise, he indicated that the allies are conducting consultations “on the way forward and how to address the ambitions of the Ukrainians to join NATO”, so “no one can say exactly what the final decision of the summit will be on this issue. ”.
“The most urgent and important task now is to ensure that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign and independent nation. Because if Ukraine does not prevail, then there will be no accession issue to discuss”, he summarized.
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