NATO Secretary General's Chief of Staff Stian Jensen retracted his earlier statements about Ukraine's possible membership in the Alliance under the condition of territorial concessions from Russia.
In a commentary to the Norwegian newspaper VG on August 16, Jensen explained that his statement "was part of a broader discussion about potential future scenarios for Ukraine" and that he "should not have expressed such an opinion."
"It was a mistake," he said.
He said that Ukraine will determine for itself the conditions under which it is ready to negotiate.
"If, and I emphasize, if you reach a point where you can negotiate, the military situation on the ground, on the territory, who controls what, will be absolutely central, and will definitely have a decisive influence on what possible outcome this war can have. It is for this reason that it is extremely important that we support the Ukrainians with what they need," Jenssen said.
As we reported earlier, NATO Secretary General's Chief of Staff Stian Jensen expressed an opinion on a potential agreement between Ukraine and Russia, under which Ukraine could become a NATO member in exchange for the transfer of part of its territory to Russia.
