BRUSSELS: NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Thursday that Russian forces were not capable of making “big breakthroughs” on the battlefield in Ukraine and that Kyiv was inflicting heavy losses with its deep strikes.
In an interview with AFP on Thursday, Stoltenberg remarked that Russian forces had attempted offensives during the spring and summer but had only made marginal gains thus far. “They tried again to launch an offensive this spring and summer — but so far only marginal gains,” Stoltenberg said.
“We don’t have any indications or reason to believe that Russia has the capabilities, the strength to make big breakthroughs,” Stoltenberg asserted.
Despite this assessment, Stoltenberg acknowledged that Russia would likely continue to exert pressure through frontline advances and airstrikes. He noted, however, that Ukrainian forces had effectively held their ground and inflicted heavy losses on Russian invaders, both through direct confrontations and strategic deep strikes. “But what we have seen is that the Ukrainians have been able to hold the line,” he said. “They have been able to continue to inflict heavy losses on the Russian invaders, both along the front line, but also by deep strikes.”
The conflict escalated earlier this year when Russia launched a renewed offensive in Ukraine’s Kharkiv region, challenging the resilience of Ukraine’s military forces.
NATO countries, particularly spearheaded by the United States, have responded by increasing deliveries of military aid to Kyiv. This initiative gained momentum after the United States successfully passed a stalled $60-billion aid package in April.
Stoltenberg also addressed the upcoming US presidential election, expressing confidence that regardless of the election outcome, the United States would maintain its robust alliance with NATO. “I expect that regardless of the outcome of the US elections, the US will remain a strong NATO ally, because that is in the security interest of the United States,” Stoltenberg told AFP.
He emphasized the strategic importance of a strong NATO for both Europe and the United States’ security interests. “A strong NATO is good for Europe, but also good for the United States.”
“Article Five should never be questioned anyway, because that’s the core responsibility of NATO, and any attempt to undermine that credibility will just increase risks,” Stoltenberg cautioned, referring to NATO’s mutual defence commitment where an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
President Biden is set to go toe-to-toe with challenger Trump on Thursday in their first televised debate ahead of the November election.
Former president Trump has rocked NATO partners on the campaign by saying he would “encourage” Russia to attack members of the Western military alliance not spending enough on their own defence.
That came after the volatile former reality TV star reportedly mulled pulling key military power Washington out of the alliance during his term in office.
“The criticism from former president Trump has not primarily been against NATO. It has been against NATO allies not spending enough, and that has now changed,” Stoltenberg said.
NATO says that 23 of its 32 members are this year set to hit the alliance’s benchmark of spending two percent of their gross domestic product on defence.
“There are never guarantees in politics, but I expect that the US will remain strong,” Stoltenberg said.
He, however, cautioned that no leader should ever cast doubt on NATO’s Article Five mutual defence commitment that means an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.
