Ukraine reacts to remarks by NATO official on territorial concessions. Alliance clarifies its stance

This was stated by the spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine Oleh Nikolenko on Facebook.

"Talks about Ukraine joining NATO in exchange for giving up part of its territories are absolutely unacceptable. We have always assumed that the Alliance, like Ukraine, does not trade territories. The conscious or unconscious involvement of NATO officials in shaping the narrative about the possibility of Ukraine giving up its territories plays into Russia's hands. Instead, it is in the interests of Euro-Atlantic security to discuss ways to accelerate Ukraine's victory and its full membership in NATO," the Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

Nikolenko added that Ukrainian diplomats are committed to further fruitful cooperation with the NATO Secretariat to achieve these goals.

Ukraine’s Presidential Office also commented on the NATO official's statement. Mykhailo Podolyak, an adviser to the President, sharply criticized Stian Jenssen's words on Twitter.

“Trading territory for a NATO umbrella? It is ridiculous. That means deliberately choosing the defeat of democracy, encouraging a global criminal, preserving the Russian regime, destroying international law, and passing the war on to other generations,” he said.

According to Podoliak, if Russian dictator Vladimir Putin does not suffer a crushing defeat, the war will definitely return with Russia's increased appetite.

“Attempts to preserve the world order and establish a "bad peace" through, let's be honest, Putin's triumph will not bring peace to the world, but will bring both dishonour and war. This applies to any format of a new "division of Europe": including under the NATO umbrella. Then why propose the scenario of a freeze, so desired by Russia, instead of speeding up the supply of weapons? Murderers should not be encouraged by appalling indulgences,” he added.

On August 16, Jenssen himself said in a comment to VG that his statement was a mistake.

"My statement about this was part of a larger discussion about possible future scenarios in Ukraine, and I should not have said that. It was a mistake," the NATO official said.

Ukraine's swift response prompted NATO to further clarify the Alliance's position.

"We fully support Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, as NATO leaders reaffirmed at the Vilnius summit in July. We will continue to support Ukraine for as long as it takes, and we are committed to achieving a just and lasting peace," European Pravda wrote, citing an unnamed NATO official.

He emphasized that Ukraine itself must decide when and under what conditions to achieve peace.

"And it is obvious that there is a need for security arrangements that would guarantee that the war will not happen again," the source added.

• On August 15, NATO Secretary General's Chief of Staff Stian Jenssen suggested that Ukraine could become a member of the Alliance if it makes territorial concessions to the Russian Federation, but the decision to do so must be made by Kyiv.