NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg has cautioned that Western nations should brace themselves for “bad news” from Ukraine following the unsuccessful “counter-offensive” by Kyiv against the occupying Russian forces.
Amid growing concerns regarding Ukraine’s capacity to withstand the much larger Russian military and its inability to reclaim significant territory from Moscow’s forces, there are growing whispers in the halls of power in the West about the ex-Soviet state’s prospects in battling back its former master.
The most recent public expression of concern came from NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. In an interview with German broadcaster ARD, as translated by POLITICO, he cautioned the West to “be prepared for bad news.” Stoltenberg did not provide details on what he specifically believes might happen to the war-torn country next.
The remarks from the Norwegian politician surfaced as the Kremlin declared that President Vladimir Putin had directed the addition of 170,000 troops to the Russian Armed Forces. This action would elevate the total strength of the army to over 1.3 million.
In the previous month, there were reports from Washington indicating that U.S. officials have discreetly started urging Kyiv to engage in negotiations with Moscow, citing concerns about Ukraine’s capacity to draft more men into the conflict.
An unidentified American defense official informed NBC News that “manpower is at the top of the administration’s concerns right now,” noting that further armed shipments would be irrelevant if Ukraine does not “have competent forces to use them.”
Despite the mentioned concerns, President Biden is continuing in his push to Congress for billions more in military aid to Ukraine. The White House has warned that U.S. funding for the proxy war might run out by the end of the year. Biden is presently advocating for an additional $61 billion in aid for Ukraine. However, there has been growing opposition among House Republicans to fund the conflict as the American public is growing war-weary.
As for President Zelensky, he has increasingly voiced his frustrations, stating last week that he was “not satisfied” with the amount of arms donated to Ukraine from the United States and its European allies. Additionally, the Ukrainian president has expressed dissatisfaction that the conflict between Israel and the Hamas terrorists has diverted attention away from the war in his country.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg urged European powers to ramp up the production of ammunition and to increase cooperation, saying: “We’re not able to work as closely together as we should.”
Despite anticipating “bad news” in the upcoming months of the war, Stoltenberg emphasized that the West should not retreat from the fight. He cautioned that a victory for Russia in Ukraine could pose a threat to NATO allies in Europe.
“We have to support Ukraine in both good and bad times,” he said. “The more we support the Ukraine, the faster the war will end.”
Share your thoughts by scrolling down to leave a comment.
