Stoltenberg: Putin's Nuclear Rhetorics Must Not Stop NATO Support For Ukraine

Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg. (Source: NATO)

Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) Jens Stoltenberg said Russian President Vladimir Putin's nuclear rhetoric should not stop members of the alliance from providing military assistance to Ukraine.

"What we have seen is Russia's reckless rhetoric and nuclear message pattern, and this is in accordance with that pattern," Stoltenberg, who will hand over NATO leadership to former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte today.

"Every time we increase support with new types of weapons, combat tanks, long-range missiles or F-16s, Russia has tried to prevent us," Stoltenberg told Reuters at NATO headquarters on the outskirts of Brussels.

"They didn't make it and this latest example shouldn't deter NATO allies from supporting Ukraine."

Stoltenberg reacted to a statement from President Putin last week that said Russia could use nuclear weapons if attacked with conventional missiles, as well as Moscow would consider any attack against it supported by nuclear forces as a common attack.

The warning comes as the United States and its allies negotiate over whether to allow Ukraine to fire deep Western conventional missiles into Russia. Kyiv said he wanted permission to strike targets that were part of Russia's war efforts.

Furthermore, Setoltenberg said NATO did not detect any changes in Russia's nuclear posture "which requires changes from our side".

The former Norwegian prime minister stressed that the biggest risk for NATO was if Putin won in Ukraine.

"So the message is that when he uses military force, but also when he threatens NATO allies, then he gets what he wants and that will make us all more vulnerable," he said.

"In war, there is no risk-free option," he said.

The US government has so far been reluctant to give Ukraine permission to strike deep inside Russia with weapons such as long-range ATACMS missiles, due to fears of rising tensions with Moscow and potential retaliation.

Several Western officials also questioned how effective such attacks were in changing the balance of war.

Stoltenberg said there was no "magic bullet" that would change everything on the battlefield. However, deep attacks inside Russia could make the difference as part of a broader Western effort to help Ukraine drive away the Russian invasion, he said.

Stoltenberg also said any negotiations to end the war should include security guarantees for Ukraine from Western powers, especially the United States.

Otherwise, he said, Russia would not respect any lines drawn on maps it does not intend to cover.

"When a line is agreed upon, be it internationally recognized borders or other ceasefire lines, we must truly believe that the war ends there," he said.

"So far we have seen Russia attack, wait, then attack again," he said, citing a previous deal meant to end the conflict between Russia and Ukraine which began in 2014.

"I don't think we can change President Putin's mind (about Ukraine), but I think we can change his calculations by showing that the cost of continuing the war is so high that it is better for him to sit and accept Ukraine as an sovereign independent country," he concluded.