NATO warns: the coming months will be "difficult" for Ukraine
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltberg said Monday that the coming months will be "difficult" for Ukraine and that Russia's military capability should not be underestimated.
Stoltenberg said in The Hague, after meeting the Dutch foreign and defense ministers, that the withdrawal of Russian forces from Kherson "reflects the tremendous courage of the Ukrainian armed forces" but that "we must not make the mistake of underestimating Russia".
He added, "The Russian armed forces maintain great capabilities and a large number of soldiers, and Russia has shown its willingness to bear heavy losses."
"The coming months will be difficult. (Russian President Vladimir) Putin's goal is to leave Ukraine cold and dark this winter," Stoltenberg said.
Stoltenberg met Dutch Foreign Minister Wopke Hoekstra and Defense Minister Kaisa Olungren to discuss the Netherlands' contribution to NATO and the war in Ukraine.
"Winter is arriving and we have to stay on the same path," Olungren said.
She added, "If Russia stops fighting tomorrow, the war will end. If Ukraine stops fighting, there will be no such thing as Ukraine."
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