NATO: "Ringing the drums of nuclear war" by Russia will not prevent support for Ukraine

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said the military alliance will support Ukraine "to defend itself against Russia, no matter how long it takes."

"Ukraine, of course, has the right to regain Ukrainian territory now by Russian forces," Stoltenberg said in his remarks in Brussels.

"It's not as if inaction is not a risk, inaction is a big risk," he added.

"If Russia stops fighting, there will be peace. If Ukraine stops fighting, it will cease to exist, as an independent sovereign state in Europe," Stoltenberg said.

Stoltenberg said that if NATO were to accept Russia's annexation steps and Russia "beating the drums of nuclear war" and we stopped supporting Ukraine, "then we would accept nuclear blackmail."

He said that "Russia must understand that a nuclear war can never be won and should never be fought."

He said the use of nuclear weapons would have "serious consequences for Russia".

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