Ukraine conflict could spread into war against us, Nato chief fears

Russia should not be underestimated, says Jens Stoltenberg as he warns it could go ‘horribly wrong’

THERE is a “real possibility” that the war in Ukraine could spill over into a full-scale conflict between Nato and Russia, the head of the military alliance has warned.

“I fear that the war in Ukraine will get out of control, and spread into a major war between Nato and Russia,” said Jens Stoltenberg, Nato secretary-general, responding to a question about his greatest fears for the winter.

He told Norwegian broadcaster NRK on Friday that he was confident such a scenario could be avoided but that the threat was there.

“If things go wrong, they can go horribly wrong,” he added.

To avoid a direct conflict, it is critical that Nato leaves no room for Vladimir Putin to doubt its ability to defend its member states, he said, pointing to Nato’s increased presence in countries at the Eastern edge of the alliance.

“He knows it’s one for all, and all for one,” he said. “Nato’s most important task is to prevent full-scale war in Europe and that is something we work on every single day.”

The former Norwegian prime minister emphasised the importance of continued military support for Ukraine but would not be drawn on the question of whether Nato member states should agree to provide more advanced, longrange offensive weaponry.

While some argue that such weapons are essential to help Ukraine bring the war to an end sooner, others worry that it could escalate the conflict and precipitate a direct confrontation between Nato states and Russia.

Addressing the impact of the war across Europe, Mr Stoltenberg, who has been head of Nato since 2014, added: “I understand everyone who is tired of supporting Ukraine. I understand everyone who thinks that food prices and the electricity bills are far too high. But we have to pay a much higher price if our freedom and peace are threatened through Putin winning in Ukraine.”

Mr Stoltenberg has repeatedly warned that Russia should not be underestimated, despite recent Ukrainian successes in the conflict.

But he told NRK that Mr Putin had misjudged Ukraine. “He has believed that he can achieve what he wants through military force and a brutality we have not seen since the Second World War. They have deliberately hit civilians by cutting water supplies and attacking non-military targets. It is extremely brutal warfare,” he said.

He added: “I don’t think he will be able to break Ukraine. On the contrary, he is mobilising even more support for Ukraine” through these actions.

Speaking to the Financial Times earlier this week, Mr Stoltenberg noted that Nato allies including the UK had worked hard to train the Ukrainian armed forces to make them “much bigger, much stronger, much better equipped” and that they were now in a very different position than they were when the invasion began. They [Nato allies] realise that if Putin wins, it will be a tragedy for Ukrainians, but it will also be extremely serious for all of us.

“It will make Nato allies more vulnerable and the world more dangerous and therefore we cannot allow Putin to win.”