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Stoltenberg: I don't believe Putin's mind can be changed, but his calculus could change if Ukraine gets more weapons

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg believes Russian President Vladimir Putin will not change his intention to defeat Ukraine, however, if Ukraine is supplied with more weapons, the Russian leader could realize that he cannot get what he wants by force.

Stoltenberg said this during the event "Reflections on a Challenging Decade: A Farewell Conversation with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg," organized by the German Marshall Fund, in Brussels on Thursday.

"We all want this war to end. The quickest way to end the war is to lose it. But that will not bring peace. It will bring Russian occupation. Today, President Putin believes he can achieve his goals on the battlefield. And he believes that he can wait us out. That is why he continues to wage his brutal war. I do not believe that we can change Putin's mind. But I do believe that we can change his calculus. By giving Ukraine more weapons, we can make Putin realize he cannot get what he wants by force. And make it so costly that he will have to accept Ukraine as a sovereign democratic right to persist as a sovereign democratic nation," he said.

The secretary General noted that "the paradox is that the more weapons for Ukraine we are able to deliver, the more likely it is that we can reach a peace and end to the war."

"And the more credible our long-term military support, the sooner the war will end. As President Zelenskyy has stated, Russia has to be part of future peace talks. The Minsk agreements after Russia's first invasion in 2014 did not bring peace. Any future deal must be backed by strong military support to Ukraine and credible security guarantees to ensure lasting peace. There can be no sustained security in Europe without a stable Ukraine," he said.

Stoltenberg also said that there is "no lasting security for Ukraine without NATO membership."

"NATO's door is open. Ukraine will join," he said.

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