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NATO to continue its support for Kiev regime, Stoltenberg says

The statement followed the claims that Ukraine might give up territory to Russia as part of a deal to end the conflict

BRUSSELS, August 17. /TASS/. NATO will continue to support Ukraine and its policy in this regard remains unchanged, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said at a press conference in Norway.

This statement was made after Stoltenberg's chief of staff at NATO, Stian Jenssen, said on August 15 that Ukraine may give up territory to Russia as part of a deal to end the conflict. Jenssen subsequently said that he regretted his comments. "His (Jenssen's) message, and which is my main message, and which is NATO's main message, is, firstly, that NATO's policy is unchanged - we support Ukraine," Reuters quoted Stoltenberg as saying replying to a question about the Kiev regime’s possible territorial concessions and Ukraine’s potential NATO membership.

"It is the Ukrainians, and only the Ukrainians, who can decide when there are conditions in place for negotiations, and who can decide at the negotiating table what is an acceptable solution," Stoltenberg added.

Commenting on the problems that Ukraine’s counteroffensive had encountered, the NATO chief said that the Ukrainians were steadily advancing but the situation remained uncertain.

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Ukraine crisis Ukraine NATO

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