Russia hopes to freeze war - Stoltenberg

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated this in his column in the Financial Times.

“In recent months, Russia’s leaders have mobilized over 200,000 extra troops and shown a willingness to take large numbers of casualties. They seek more weapons and ammunition from other authoritarian regimes, such as Iran. Russia hopes to freeze the war to allow its forces to regroup, rearm and try to launch a renewed offensive,” Jens Stoltenberg noted. 

The Secretary General of NATO emphasized that Volodymyr Zelenskyy offered the Russian Federation to withdraw its troops, which would end the "conflict". However, "Moscow categorically rejected it."

“It was Putin who started the war. He can end it today by getting out of Ukraine. Right now, he shows no signs that he is seeking real peace,” Jens Stoltenberg emphasized. 

He added that most wars end at the negotiating table, and the president of Ukraine demonstrated his peace plan: “But let us not forget that what happens at the negotiating table is inextricably linked with what happens on the battlefield…If Putin prevails in Ukraine, the message to Russia — and to other authoritarian regimes — will be that force will get them what they want. This would be a catastrophe for Ukraine. But it would also make the whole world more dangerous, and all of us more vulnerable. So it is in our own security interest to maintain our support for Ukraine this winter, and for as long as it takes.”