Stoltenberg further claimed that there is "no sign" that Russian President Vladimir Putin is "preparing for peace," adding that the nation is preparing for "more war" ahead of the one-year mark of the beginning of Russia's special military operation at the end of February. (Related: Ukraine's defense minister claims his country is a "de facto" member of NATO.)
The NATO secretary-general's claim comes from a report recently published by the American think tank, the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), which claimed that Putin "retains his maximalist goals in Ukraine."
Meanwhile, Head of the Ukrainian Council of Reservists Ivan Tymochko reportedly said that Russian forces in the disputed Donbas region were "strengthening" in anticipation of an offensive, which Russia was launching "due to increasing domestic pressure" for a quick victory and an end to the war.
"Stoltenberg's and Tymochko's statements support ISW's previous forecast that Russian forces are setting conditions to launch an offensive effort, likely in Luhansk Oblast, in the coming months," said the ISW, adding that Russian military bloggers have already started setting up the Russian information space.
NATO chief claims Russian victory in Ukraine would "empower dictators," make the world "more dangerous"
Stoltenberg claimed that it is "extremely important" for the world that "Putin doesn't win." He claimed that a full Russian victory in Ukraine would empower dictators like Putin and make the world "more dangerous."
He further warned that Russia is potentially mobilizing even more than just 200,000 new troops, with NATO intelligence suggesting that Russia is actively acquiring new weapons.
"They are actively acquiring new weapons, more ammunition, ramping up their own production, but also acquiring more weapons from other authoritarian states like Iran and North Korea," Stoltenberg said. "And most of all, we have seen no sign that President Putin has changed his overall goal of this invasion to control a neighbor, to control Ukraine. So, as long as this is the case, we need to be prepared for the long haul."
The NATO chief then went on to claim that the only way the war will be won is if Putin can be brought to the negotiating table, but he added that the Russian president is unlikely to "sit down and engage in good faith" so long as he believes he can gain a victory on the battlefield.
"If we really want Ukraine to prevail as a sovereign, independent nation in Europe, then we need to support them now," said Stoltenberg, claiming that the only way forward is to continue arming Ukraine. "Military support today makes it possible to reach a peace agreement tomorrow."
Stoltenberg's comments come as the West has already pledged to provide the Armed Forces of Ukraine with Challenger 2, Leopard 2 and M1 Abrams main battle tanks from the United Kingdom, Germany and the United States, respectively.
Despite this latest addition to Kyiv's arsenal, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is still calling on his country's Western allies to send even more weapons to confront the relentless attacks by Russian forces.
"The situation is very tough. Bakhmut, Vuhledar and other sections in the Donetsk region – there are constant Russian attacks. There are constant attempts to break through our defenses," said Zelensky in his nightly video address.
"Russia wants the war to drag on and exhaust our forces. So, we have to make time our weapon. We have to speed up events, speed up [the arrival of] supplies and open up [the use of] new weapons options for Ukraine."
Learn more about the conflict between Russia and the West in Ukraine at WWIII.news.
Watch this clip from InfoWars as host Alex Jones discusses how Russia has issued an emergency World War III alert.
This video is from the InfoWars channel on Brighteon.com.
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NATO members are running out of weapons that they can send to Ukraine.
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