LONDON, September 5. /TASS/. It is impossible to guarantee the preservation of NATO military aid to Ukraine, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said, adding that he is certain that the Western allies will maintain their long term support for Kiev.
"No one can guarantee anything, if we talk about all 32 democracies. However, I am convinced that the support will remain," the Secretary General said in Oslo, according to the Verdens Gang newspaper.
"It is in our interest that Ukraine survives," said Stoltenberg, who will leave his office on October 1.
He also said that he would refrain from attempting to predict the outcome of the ongoing conflict, noting that the Western military have already made a mistake in their predictions in 2022, when they underestimated the Ukrainian army’s combat readiness. Meanwhile, Stoltenberg underscored that the outcome of the standoff will largely be determined by whether the West continus to provide military and economic aid to Ukraine.
The Norwegian politician also stated that it is necessary to sign new nuclear disarmament agreements after the INF Treaty expires. In his opinion, these agreements must be signed not only by Russia and the US, but also by China.
"I myself walked these streets [while being a student] and chanted the ‘no to nuclear weapons’ slogan. I still advocate the abolition of nuclear weapons, if everyone abolishes them," Stoltenberg said.
The former prime minister of Norway, who led NATO since 2014, avoided several questions regarding his further plans after he is succeeded by former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte as the NATO Secretary General. He merely joked that, during all these 10 years, he retained the office in the Statistics Norway, formally staying on a long vacation.