Stoltenberg recalls difficult call to Zelenskyy after Russia's invasion

Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has described the first phone call he made to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy after the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in 2022.

Source: Stoltenberg in an interview with the Financial Times, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Stoltenberg recalled that he could not reach Zelenskyy for two days. 

The former NATO secretary general said when they finally spoke, "that phone call was quite difficult".

Partly, Stoltenberg recalled, it was the fear that Zelenskyy would soon be "caught or killed".

"But more than that, a large part of the conversation was about a no-fly zone. He [Zelenskyy – ed.] wanted a no-fly zone. And I wasn’t able to give him a no-fly zone," he said.

Stoltenberg added that he did not regret his answer.

"The reality is that since the beginning I have formulated the NATO approach: support Ukraine, but not be part of the conflict," he said.

Stoltenberg also recalled his first meeting with Zelenskyy in 2019 and admitted that he underestimated him.

"I liked him, but I didn’t imagine him becoming a war leader. He was inexperienced. He was asking the most basic questions... I underestimated him, totally," the former NATO Secretary General said.

Earlier, Stoltenberg admitted that the Alliance could have done more to prevent the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

He has also spoken about how Russia lied to NATO representatives shortly before the full-scale invasion took place.

Support UP or become our patron!