NATO chief says the biggest risk is a "Putin victory"

MUNICH, TASS – There are no risk-free options in terms of the conflict in Ukraine, but the greatest risk of all is if Russia wins, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in a speech at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday.

"Some fear that our support for Ukraine could trigger an escalation. Let me be clear: there are no risk-free options, but the greatest risk of all is if Putin wins," he noted, adding: "That will make the world more dangerous and us more vulnerable."

NATO Secretary General Stoltenberg highlighted the need to learn "some important lessons" from the conflict in Ukraine. "First, we must maintain and intensify our support for Ukraine" and "give Ukraine what they need to win," he stressed. "The second lesson is that we need to continue to strengthen our deterrence and defense," he said. "The third lesson is that we need to strengthen the resilience of our societies. Military forces are necessary to protect our security, but they are not sufficient. We must also protect our cyberspace, our supply chains, and our infrastructure," the NATO chief emphasized.

According to him, the most important lesson is that "North America and Europe must be together."