Stoltenberg: We cannot have Minsk 3, we need something that is credible

It is Ukraine's sovereign right to decide what are acceptable conditions for peace talks to end the war. However, Russia's behavior so far suggests that the Minsk III deal must be ruled out, and that what is needed instead is something that actually is credible.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said this at a press conference in Brussels ahead of the NATO Summit in Washington, answering a question from an Ukrinform correspondent.

“We have seen a pattern of Russian aggressive behavior against Ukraine. This war didn't start in 2022. It started in 2014, when they illegally first annexed Crimea, then some months later went into eastern Donbass, agreed the ceasefire, Minsk I, violated that, moved the frontline even further west, agreed Minsk II, waited for seven years and then launched the full-scale attack and took even more. We cannot have Minsk III,” he stressed.

“What we need now is something that actually is credible, something that - when actually the war stops and Russia stops its aggression and therefore when the fighting ends, we need security. We need to enable the Ukrainians to deter, but we also need some kind of security guarantees for Ukraine. And of course, that was also one of the reasons why Allies so clearly have stated that Ukraine will become a member of NATO,” the NATO Secretary General said.

He noted that there are no signs that President Putin is ready to negotiate for peace. Stoltenberg recalled Putin’s latest proposal that Ukraine should give up all the territory in the four regions that was annexed illegally, which means that Ukraine should not only give up territory that Russia seized today, but also actually give up a lot of territory that Ukraine controls today. In addition, Putin also said that not only should Ukraine give up much more territory than Russia occupies today, but Ukraine should also promise that they should give up the right that every nation has to choose its path, to not be a member of NATO.

“It is for Ukraine to decide what are acceptable conditions for peace talks, and any negotiated solution, because Ukraine is a sovereign independent nation. What we shall do as NATO Allies is to help Ukraine to strengthen their hand, because we know that there is a very strong link between what happens around the negotiating table and the situation on the battlefield. So if we want a negotiated solution, then we need to provide military support to Ukraine and that's exactly what NATO Allies are doing,” Stoltenberg said.

He said he expects new announcements on military support and the NATO command and the NATO financial pledge to be agreed during the summit.

“So that will be a strong demonstration of our commitment to Ukraine. I expect new announcements on air defence and I expect new announcements on military support and I expect the NATO command and the NATO financial pledge to be agreed. And that will be much stronger than we had before the Summit,” Stoltenberg said.

As reported, the NATO anniversary summit, dedicated to the 75th anniversary of the Alliance, will be held in Washington on July 9-11.

Photo: nato.int