NATO Secretary General says Russia lied at meeting with NATO shortly before invading Ukraine
Jens Stoltenberg, the outgoing NATO Secretary General, has revealed details surrounding his last meetings with the Russian side before its full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
Source: Stoltenberg in an interview with the German media outlet FAS, as reported by European Pravda
Details: Stoltenberg said that the last meeting of the NATO-Russia Council under his chairmanship took place in January 2022.
Back then, he recalls, Russia demanded that all NATO troops be withdrawn from the eastern territory of the Alliance.
"This was completely unacceptable to us, but I believe in dialogue. That is why we sat down with them again," Stoltenberg said.
He added that the meeting was attended by two Russian deputy foreign and defence ministers.
The NATO Secretary General noted that Russia had claimed there were no military plans on their part and that the country was supposedly under threat from Ukraine.
"They presented maps, likely to demonstrate that Russia was surrounded by NATO. However, even these maps were incorrect. Denmark, for instance, was not marked as NATO territory at all. It was unbelievable," Stoltenberg said.
He remains unsure whether it was a case of poor preparation or a deliberate act.
Background:
- In addition, Stoltenberg admitted that the Alliance could have done more to prevent a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
- Jens Stoltenberg has been NATO's Secretary General since 2014. He will be replaced by former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on 1 October.
- Politico reported that Stoltenberg, upon stepping down from his NATO role, will become the head of the Munich Security Conference.
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