Stoltenberg: The international community must prepare for a long war in Ukraine

Most wars last longer than was expected when they started, Stoltenberg emphasized in an interview published today for the German media group Funke.

“We all want a speedy peace,” emphasized Stoltenberg, but at the same time assessed that if Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and the Ukrainians stopped fighting, their country would no longer exist. “If Russian President (Vladimir) Putin and Russia lay down their arms, we will have peace,” he added.

He repeated that there is no doubt that Ukraine will be “eventually became a member of NATO” and that it needs security guarantees after the war. Otherwise, according to Stoltenberg, history may repeat itself.

He called on Germany to increase military spending

At the same time, the Secretary General of NATO called on Germany to increase spending on the military. “During the Cold War, when Konrad Adenauer or Willy Brandt ruled, defense spending amounted to three to four percent of economic output,” he explained, adding that it was similar in his home country of Norway.

“We did it then and we must do it again today,” said Stoltenberg, recalling the conclusion of the July NATO summit that two percent of gross domestic product represents the lower threshold for military expenditures. As he also said, he expects that many allies will exceed this threshold, and according to him, it is especially important that a country like Germany adheres to these goals.

More drone attacks in Russia

The Russian Defense Ministry announced that the air defense shot down six drones over the occupied Crimea. The report on Telegram did not clarify whether there was any damage or injuries in Crimea.

They were also supposed to prevent an attack by drones on Moscow, specifically the districts of Istra and Ramenki.

“There was no damage or casualties at the site where the wreckage fell. Emergency services are on the scene,” the Moscow mayor wrote in a message on the Telegram network, according to the French news agency AFP Sergey Sobyanin.

A total of six flights were canceled at several Moscow airports, and at least 30 more were delayed. Cancellations and postponements of flights in the face of increasingly frequent threats due to Ukrainian drone attacks have become a common practice of the Russian authorities.

Damaged oil storage

Meanwhile, in southwestern Russia’s Orel province, a Ukrainian drone damaged an oil storage facility early this morning, causing a fuel tank fire that was quickly extinguished, the local governor said. Andrey Klitschko. At the same time, he announced that there were no victims in the attack.

Klitschko did not explain whether the remains of the downed plane fell on the warehouse or if the plane hit him in the attack.

Meanwhile, he is the secretary of the Ukrainian Security Council Oleksiy Danilov urged Ukraine’s allies to speed up the supply of weapons, as this is the only way to end the war.

“For example, the total or partial destruction of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, which is feasible, would greatly accelerate the process of Russia’s search for a way out of the war,” announced Danilov.

Meanwhile, another drone was shot down in the Russian region of Voronezh, the local governor announced Alexander Gusev and the Ministry of Defence. Gusev said there were no casualties or damage.

In the Tula region, however, the unmanned aircraft fell in the area of ​​the logistics center, local authorities said. Even from there, no casualties or major damage to the infrastructure are reported.

Attack in Ukraine

In the meantime, it was announced from Kiev that Russia attacked the Odesa and Mykolaiv regions with missiles and drones at night. All six Russian drones were destroyed before hitting their target, according to the Ukrainian military.

Ukrainian air defense also intercepted five Russian missiles over its territory, and several others fell to the ground. According to the Ukrainian army, a grain warehouse in Odesa was damaged. There are said to be no victims.