He noted that "what is happening in Ukraine is terrible, but it would be much worse if there were a war between Russia and NATO."

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Russia should not be allowed to win the war it unleashed against Ukraine, which was the biggest threat to European security since World War II.

According to Radio Liberty, Stoltenberg, speaking in Norway, said that the Alliance and its member countries may have to continue to support Ukraine with weapons and other assistance for a long time to prevent Russia from winning an unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.

It is in our interests that such an aggressive policy should not succeed … This is the most dangerous situation for Europe since the Second World War. What is happening in Ukraine is terrible, but it would be much worse if there were a war between Russia and NATO.

NATO Secretary-General

Stoltenberg reaffirmed the Alliance's determination to protect all 30 member countries.

If President (Vladimir) Putin even thinks of doing something similar with a NATO country, as he did with Georgia, Moldova or Ukraine, then the whole of NATO will be immediately involved," the Secretary-General stressed.

NATO Secretary-General

It is noted that the war in Ukraine forced Finland and Sweden to seek NATO membership, and now this request has been ratified by 23 of the 30 member states, including the United States.

This is not only an attack on Ukraine, an independent democratic state with a population of over 40 million, it is also an attack on our values ​​and the world order that we aspire to.

NATO Secretary-General

Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, two traditionally neutral Scandinavian countries, Finland, which shares more than 1,000 kilometers of border with Russia, and Sweden, applied for fast NATO membership.

According to the NATO list, seven member countries have not yet reached a formal agreement on the entry of Finland and Sweden - these are the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and Turkey.

It is noted that Turkey has the most challenging position, which demands to intensify the extradition of dozens of opponents of the government, whom it calls "terrorists", from both countries, in exchange for supporting their entry into the Alliance. Turkey said a special committee would meet with Finnish and Swedish authorities this month to assess whether the two countries comply with its terms.

Recall that Russia is again threatening Finland and Sweden because of joining NATO.