BERLIN – In an interview with the German weekly newspaper FAS, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that the alliance could have done more to support Ukraine prior to Russia’s invasion in 2022. Stoltenberg suggested that providing military aid earlier might have helped prevent the war, expressing regret over NATO’s initial reluctance to send weapons to Kyiv due to concerns about escalating tensions with Russia.
“Now we provide military equipment to a war – then we could have provided military equipment to prevent the war,” Stoltenberg remarked. After the invasion began, NATO members rapidly increased military support to Ukraine, which is not a NATO member.
Stoltenberg, who has led NATO since 2014 and will step down in October, emphasized that any resolution to the conflict would eventually require negotiations with Russia, though he stressed that such discussions must be grounded in Ukrainian strength.
As he prepares to leave his role, Stoltenberg did not confirm whether he would succeed Christoph Heusgen as chair of the Munich Security Conference but mentioned he has various options and will return to Oslo.