Ukraine War
Stoltenberg: I don’t Think There Will be a Full-Fledged War Between Russia and NATO
In the midst of Russia’s conflict in Ukraine, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has said he thinks there is little chance of a full-fledged war between Russia and the alliance.
According to Stoltenberg, when speaking to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour, the countries of NATO worked together to reduce the likelihood of a full-scale war.
Nevertheless, he said the situation on the ground in Ukraine is “extremely unpredictable” and that NATO needs to be prepared to deal with an unpredictable situation for a long time to come.
In response to a question about reports that the Russians are not using the deconfliction line, Stoltenberg responded that is correct, and that “the Russians have not been ready yet, as I said, to use those lines, but we assume that they will be able to communicate with us if the need arises.”.
The secretary-general of NATO, who was supposed to be Norway’s central bank chief later this year, is now likely to stay on as the head of the alliance because of the Ukrainian crisis. “As I extend my term for the third time in my career, I feel privileged.”
According to Stoltenberg, when asked if the job at the NATO was more important than the job at Norway’s Central Bank, he replied that “I feel it is more important”, adding that if there is anything he can do to prevent this conflict from escalating into a full-fledged war between Russia and NATO, then “I feel that is an extremely meaningful task to do.”