Stoltenberg and Scholz warn NATO members to prepare for long-term Russia’s war

Russia has no intention of ending its large-scale military aggression against Ukraine, and the war may continue for quite some time, stated by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

Western countries should continue to support the counteroffensive operations of Ukrainian defenders, according n-tv.de and tagesschau.de.

Scholz predicts a "very long" war

The German chancellor sees no signs that Russia will withdraw its occupation forces from Ukraine and end its aggressive war.

"We have to be prepared for the fact that the war can last for a very long time," he said at a Bundeswehr conference in Berlin.

At the same time, the German PM noted that this war has been going on for much longer than Russian President Vladimir Putin imagined when he launched the full-scale offensive.

Scholz notes that he is not pessimistic about the ability of the Ukrainian forces to repel invaders.

He also drew attention to the importance of developing resilience and protecting its own infrastructure from attacks.

NATO expresses support for the Ukrainian forces

NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg says it is necessary to support Ukraine's offensive against the Russian occupiers to liberate more territories.

"We must be prepared for a long journey. Wars are unpredictable by nature… What we do know is that the negotiations taking place at the table are inextricably linked to the situation on the battlefield," he said.

Stoltenberg says only continued defense support from partner countries can ensure that Ukraine remains a sovereign and democratic state.

The NATO chief added that this is the only way to convince the Russian dictator "that he cannot win on the battlefield".

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky also stated that the timing of the end of the war in Ukraine also depends on the speed of delivery of air defense systems and their quantity.