NATO: War in Ukraine could last "months or even years"

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg warned Wednesday that Russian President Vladimir Putin has not given up his desire to control all of Ukraine, predicting that the war will continue for "months and even years".

"We have to be realistic. The war could go on for a long time, for months and even years. So we have to be prepared for a long path, in terms of providing support to Ukraine, maintaining sanctions and strengthening our defenses," Stoltenberg said before the meeting of NATO foreign ministers.

"We haven't seen any indication that Putin has changed his goal by taking over all of Ukraine," he added.

A meeting of the Group of Seven is scheduled to be held at NATO headquarters on the sidelines of the NATO meeting, in the presence of Japanese Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi.

Tightening the sanctions imposed on Russia will be the most prominent topic on the meeting's agenda.

Stoltenberg explained that "Ukraine urgently needs military support and that is why it is very important for NATO allies to agree to continue supporting Ukraine with many types of military equipment, whether it is heavy equipment or light weapons systems," considering that the assistance provided had a "real effect."

"We will do three things if Russia continues its aggression against Ukraine: continue to support the Ukrainians, put extraordinary pressure on Russia and strengthen the alliance's defense," US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken told a news briefing alongside Stoltenberg.

The United States has allocated an additional $100 million to fund arms purchases for Ukraine.

"For every Russian tank sent to Ukraine, we will supply Ukraine with ten anti-tank weapons," Blinken said in an interview with the US channel MSNBC in Brussels.

Stoltenberg stressed that "this war must end now and President Putin can end it by withdrawing his forces."

Upon arriving at NATO headquarters, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, whose country hosted Russian-Ukrainian talks, said, "We brought the two foreign ministers together in Antalya, and they made remarkable progress. Unfortunately, the images we saw in Buca and other areas damage the relatively positive atmosphere, but we still maintain With hope and cautious optimism."

"We are waiting for more meetings between the two negotiating teams and then, perhaps, between the two foreign ministers, to reach a possible agreement," he declared.

"No matter when the war ends, it will have far-reaching repercussions on our security. Because we have seen barbarism. We have seen President Putin's willingness to use military force to achieve his goals. This is changing the reality of security in Europe for many years," Stoltenberg added.

"We have asked military leaders to present options to political leaders so that they can make decisions to reset the coalition's defense and deterrence capability," he said.

These options will be discussed at the NATO summit scheduled for June 29-30 in Madrid.

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