One of NATO's main goals in the Ukrainian conflict is to prevent a "comprehensive war" with Russia - RT quoted NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg as saying on August 4.
In this conflict, NATO has two tasks: Supporting Ukraine and preventing the war from escalating into a full-scale war between NATO and Russia, Stoltenberg said in a speech in Norway.
The military chief described the Russia-Ukraine conflict as "the most dangerous situation in Europe since World War II" and added that Moscow must not win. If Russia wins the war, Russian President Vladimir Putin will believe that violence is effective. Then it will be the turn of other neighboring countries, Mr. Stoltenberg argued.
Since Russia began its military campaign on February 24, Ukraine has received significant military aid from NATO countries, with billions of dollars worth of weapons dumped in the country - something Moscow has repeatedly criticized.
In July, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with RT that Ukraine was being "pumped" with Western military equipment, and further, "forced to use these weapons in an increasingly risky manner". This prevents Kiev from taking "any constructive steps".
In his speech on August 4, Mr. Stoltenberg said that President Putin had ultimately failed his goal, because instead of NATO narrowing its presence in Eastern Europe and slowing down its expansion, the alliance had become " stronger and more consolidated" with upcoming members Sweden and Finland.
The General Secretary emphasized that strengthening NATO's defense on the eastern flank is very important, in order to prevent Russia's victory in Ukraine. However, Mr. Stoltenberg reiterated that NATO is not "one side in the conflict" and will not send troops into Ukraine.
In a previous interview with Norwegian broadcaster NRK, the NATO head said the alliance had no obligation to intervene in the conflict because Ukraine was not a member state. We have a responsibility to support Ukraine, but we also have a responsibility to keep the safety of all countries that NATO is responsible for, said Stoltenberg.
Before starting a military campaign in Ukraine, Russia had repeatedly stated that it considered NATO's eastward expansion a threat to the country's national security.
In December 2021, Russia called on the US and its allies to provide legal guarantees that NATO would stop expanding and curbing the deployment of weapons systems capable of hitting deep into Russian territory. However, NATO states that member states and candidates have the right to decide whether to join the alliance or not.
