NATO Asked To Prepare For A Long War Between Russia-Ukraine

JAKARTA - German Chancellors say North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries must be prepared to face a long war between Russia and Ukraine, while alliance chiefs say Kyiv will join at the right time but not next month.

The two met in Berlijn, during preparations ahead of the alliance's annual summit this time held by Vilnius, Lithuania, next month, where allies are expected to commit to increasing military spending.

Germany is known to be trying to get its weapons industry capable of producing more weapons to help Ukraine. Together with other alliance members, they have handed over tanks and other heavy weapons to help Ukriana retake its territory from Russia.

However, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in a press statement with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Monday said allies "must be prepared to face the war of Russian aggression against Ukraine that will last for a long time".

"We are preparing for it and aligning our policies for it. Germany will support Ukraine as long as necessary. We have reserve the necessary funds in our budget," he explained, as reported by The National News on June 20.

Meanwhile, Stoltenberg said Ukraine would have a "stronger position" in future negotiations, if they could retake its territory from Russia.

Furthermore, a number of countries in Europe have pushed for Ukraine to be given a clear path towards NATO membership. However, other countries including Germany see it as a further prospect.

"We all want this war to end. However, fair peace cannot mean freezing the conflict and accepting the deal dictated by Russia," Stoltenberg said.

Moscow and the West have blamed each other for the prospect of a dead-end peace negotiations, with Russian President Vladimir Putin stressing on Friday that the Kremlin was open to discussions.

On the same occasion, Stoltenberg encouraged allies to increase the defense spending promise of each member country, which is currently 2 percent of GDP, the level cannot be met by many countries, including Germany.

Stoltenberg said some NATO members needed to spend more than 2 percent of the proceeds, so the alliance could realize its plans to increase capabilities and troops with high readiness.

"I know that it's never easy to increase defense spending. If you spend more on defense, then there will be less funds for healthcare, education, and other important things," Stoltenberg said.

"But the reality is that when we live in a more dangerous world, we have to pay the price to invest more in the defense sector," he said.

It is known that Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022 but failed to seize Kyiv. The war later turned into a brutal seizure of territory on the front lines of the south and east.