Stoltenberg: NATO could have done more to prevent war in Ukraine

NATO could do more to arm Ukraine and try to prevent a full-scale invasion by Russia in 2022, the outgoing secretary general of the North Atlantic alliance said in an interview released on September 14.

“Now we provide material support for war – then we could provide such support to prevent war,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told the German weekly FAS.

Stoltenberg pointed to the reluctance of the alliance to provide weapons, which Kyiv requested before a full-scale invasion of Russia – due to fears of an escalation of tensions with Moscow.

Former Prime Minister of Norway Jens Stoltenberg will resign from his position in NATO in October. On October 1, he will be replaced by the former Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte, as Secretary General of the North Atlantic Alliance.