NATO: the second stage of the war in Ukraine is inevitable
NATO believes that the second stage of the war in Ukraine is inevitable, this stage will have a wider front and will be more bloody.
This was stated by NATO Deputy Secretary-General Mircea Joane to the Digi24 portal.
When asked what is expected in Ukraine in the next two weeks in the context of the pressure of May 9, when russia will have to triumphantly demonstrate the outcome of the invasion on Victory Day, Mircea Geoana said NATO's assessment was that a resumption of russia's offensive was "inevitable."
"We have all the signs of regrouping, replenishment of mass casualties in the first stage of the war, logistics, and military training; all this shows that we will inevitably enter the second stage of this war, already very bloody. We are entering the second stage, more complex, different in nature from the first stage, in a much wider area, both in the east, in Donbas, and in the south, towards the Crimea and Mariupol. So, according to our estimates, we are entering the second, more difficult stage of this war, which seems to be dragging on," said the Deputy Secretary-General of NATO.
When asked whether the Alliance expects the russian army to continue the deliberate killing of civilians, Mircea Joane said: "We hope this will not happen, because what they are doing is already extremely barbaric and savage, but I repeat, we expect the next resumption of hostilities on a much wider front. This will have a military component much closer to the classic war than to what we saw in the first six weeks of the war, and unfortunately, we will suffer civilian casualties."
The NATO Deputy Secretary-General explained that there was a "conscious difference" in how the russian side approached the attack on Kyiv, which was considered a temporary invasion to block the Ukrainian army from defending the capital, and in what it was preparing for the southern and eastern territories moscow wants to save.
"It's completely different, in terms of the intensity and brutality of the attacks, in the areas that the russians want to keep in the end after this war, so the difference is in how they treat the population. It's almost an attempt to create a new reality, including from a view of the population," said Joane.
According to him, a significant number of NATO states continue to support Ukraine in its "fair" war against the russian invader and by entering another stage of the war, with a different configuration, with different needs. Ukraine needs support and is receiving support from NATO allies for this type of war, Mircea Joane confirmed.
He explained that achieving goals at a greater distance requires more armor, more equipment, and more opportunities.
"If in the first part of the war we all saw Javelin and anti-tank weapons, this second part of the war will be different in quality, intensity, and consistency, so it is natural that we help Ukraine prepare for this stage of the war," said a NATO official.
