NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg believes that the actions of the Kremlin indicate Russiaʼs plans to renew the offensive against Ukraine, and the Russiansʼ calls for negotiations are an attempt to buy time for the preparation and regrouping of troops.
This is stated in Stoltenbergʼs column in the Financial Times.
He reminded that Russia has mobilized approximately 200 000 people into the ranks of the army in recent months, and the tactics of the Russian Federation on the battlefield show that the leadership of the troops does not count on losses. At the same time, the Russian Federation is trying to purchase weapons and ammunition from its allies, in particular from Iran.
"Russia hopes to freeze the war to have time to regroup, rearm and try to resume the offensive. The President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky proposed that the Russian Federation begin withdrawing troops before Christmas as a first step towards ending the conflict, but Moscow sharply rejected this proposal. It was Putin who started the war, and he can end it even today by leaving Ukraine. Now there are no signs that he really wants peace," noted the Secretary General.
He added that NATO and its allies should continue to support Ukraine, as Putinʼs victory will send a signal to authoritarian regimes that they can get what they want by force.
- Stoltenberg previously noted that Russia is planning a "long war."
- The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Valerii Zaluzhnyi stated that the Russians are training approximately 200 000 new soldiers, and that he has no doubt that they will try to go to Kyiv a second time. The Minister of Defense Oleksiy Reznikov and the commander of the OC "South" also believe that Russia plans to launch another wave of offensive in February 2023. The commander of the United Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Lieutenant General Serhiy Nayev informed that the risk of an offensive by the occupying forces from the territory of Belarus is gradually increasing.
- On December 20, Russia began to transfer equipment and personnel that were on Belarusian training grounds closer to the border with Ukraine.