NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg believes that in a message to the Federal Assembly of Russian President Vladimir Putin, he made it clear that he had prepared for even more war with Ukraine.

“One year since he launched the Russian invasion [full scale invasion on February 24, 2022], we see no sign that President Putin is preparing for peace. On the contrary, as he made clear today, he is preparing for more war. Russia is launching new offensives. Mobilising more troops. And reaching out to North Korea and Iran,” Stoltenberg said in Brussels on Tuesday at a press conference that took place after a trilateral meeting with the EU High Representative for Foreign and Security Policy Josep Borrell and Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

The NATO Secretary General recalled that the alliance and partners provide support to Ukraine and supply heavy modern weapons, constantly consulting with Ukraine what they need.

“NATO also has another task, and that is to prevent this war from escalating beyond Ukraine. And that's reason why we, on the morning of the invasion, activated our defence plans, and added thousands of more troops to our presence in eastern part of the Alliance, backed by significant air and naval power to send a very clear message to Moscow that NATO is there to protect every inch of NATO territory. If one Ally is attacked, it will be regarded as an attack on the whole Alliance. So we will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes and we will continue to provide a credible deterrence and defence for all NATO territory, he assured.

Speaking about the last meeting, Stoltenberg called it “a symbol of our solidarity: NATO and the European Union together standing with Ukraine.” “A year ago, President Putin launched his illegal war against a peaceful neighbour. The facts are clear for all to see. Nobody is attacking Russia. Russia is the aggressor. Ukraine is the victim of aggression. And we are supporting Ukraine’s right to self-defence right, which is enshrined in the UN Charter,” he is convinced.

The EU High Representative gave a similar assessment of this meeting, calling it “historic.” Borrell said that three of them are standing side by side today: Ukraine, NATO and the EU, mentioning that they are standing here today for the first time which, according to him, is a clear demonstration of their unity and continued support for Ukraine. He added that today they reaffirmed their unwavering support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and its right to self-defense.