World must prepare for 'long war in Ukraine' warns NATO chief Stoltenberg

"We are all wishing for a quick peace. But at the same time, we must recognize: If President Zelenskyy and the Ukrainians stop fighting, their country will no longer exist,” Stoltenberg said.

“If (Russian) President (Vladimir) Putin and Russia lay down their weapons, we will have peace."

Stoltenberg stressed that Ukraine needs security guarantees after the war is over "otherwise history could repeat itself." He also expressed confidence that the country would eventually join the NATO defensive alliance.

"The peace agreement should not serve as a respite for Russia to attack again,” Stoltenberg said.

“We cannot allow Russia to threaten the security of Europe any longer. There is no doubt that Ukraine will eventually be in NATO."

The NATO summit in Vilnius concluded in July with a framework paving the way for long-term security guarantees for Ukraine to deter Russian aggression. The member states settled on a unified communique concerning Ukraine’s membership in the alliance, without making any timeframe commitments as to when Kyiv might receive an invitation.

The communique only noted that Ukraine would be invited to join the alliance once member states agree and all prerequisites have been satisfied, without specifying what those prerequisites are, exactly.

Also during the summit, the G7 countries emphasized their commitment to a free, independent, democratic, and sovereign Ukraine within its internationally recognized borders. They underscored that Ukraine’s security is essential for Euro-Atlantic security, and vowed to support Ukraine in its defense against Russian aggression for as long as necessary.

Russia’s war on Ukraine has already been going on for over nine years: Russia invaded and started to occupy Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula in early 2014, after a popular uprising in Ukraine ousted the pro-Russian then president, Viktor Yanukovych following a massacre of more than 100 protesters in central Kyiv.

Later that year, Russia used its special forces to ignite a sham “separatist uprising” in Ukraine’s Donbas region. It then had to intervene in Ukraine with its regular army when its proxy army in the Donbas was on the verge of defeat in the summer of 2014, and forced Ukraine to sign the “Minsk” peace agreement.

Moscow failed to fulfil any of the commitments it made under the deal, however, and after eight years of slow-burning conflict in the east of Ukraine, Russia launched a full-scale invasion and war on Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022.