Putin prepares for another offensive to conquer Ukraine, NATO’s Stoltenberg warns
Jens Stoltenberg (Photo:REUTERS/Johanna Geron)
Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is getting ready to order another major offensive, aiming to establish control over all of Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said during a visit to South Korea on Jan. 30.
He warned that a Ukrainian defeat in the war would further degrade global security, and urged the international community to continue supporting Kyiv.
“President Putin can end the war today,” NATO website quotes Stoltenberg’s speech.
“But the challenge is that we don't see any signs that President Putin and rules in Moscow are preparing for peace. We see the opposite. We see that they are preparing for more war, that they are mobilizing more soldiers, more than 200,000, and potentially even more than that.”
According to the secretary, Russia is actively procuring weapons from authoritarian regimes in North Korea and Iran.
“And most of all, we have seen no sign that President Putin has changed his overall goal of this invasion that is to control a neighbor, to control Ukraine,” said Stoltenberg.
He added that should Putin win the war, authoritarian leaders across the globe will be emboldened to attempt to achieve their goals by use of force.
“And that will make the world more dangerous and us more vulnerable, so therefore it is so important that we continue to support Ukraine,” he concluded.
Ukrainian military leadership have previously warned that Moscow is gearing for another major offensive in February-March 2023.
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