NATO Chief Says Ukraine Shouldn’t Drop Goal of Driving Russia Out of Crimea

by | Jun 4, 2022

NATO Chief Says Ukraine Shouldn’t Drop Goal of Driving Russia Out of Crimea

by | Jun 4, 2022

In an interview with the Washington Post, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Ukraine shouldn’t avoid declaring ambitious war aims of driving Russia out of the eastern Donbass region and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia has controlled since 2014.

“They have the right to say that they are fighting for the whole of Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said. The Post report said that many US officials privately doubt Ukraine could expel Russia from the region and that such goals would “doom Kiev to an endless war.”

Stoltenberg has warned that NATO should be prepared to provide Ukraine with long-term support for its fight against Russia. “We need to be prepared that this may actually drag on for a long time,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky recently rejected a suggestion from former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who said Ukraine should cede territory to Russia to achieve peace. Earlier in the war, Russia made clear that its demands for a ceasefire include Ukraine dropping its claim to Crimea and recognizing the independence of the breakaway Donbass republics.

As the war grinds on, Russia is making slow, but steady gains in the eastern Donbass region. Russian forces have also controlled most of the Kherson oblast, which is north of Crimea, for months now, and there are signs that Moscow is considering annexing the region.

Retaking territories now controlled by Russia would take a massive offensive by Ukraine, but Ukrainian forces are taking heavy losses. Zelensky said this week that between 60 and 100 Ukrainian soldiers are being killed every day.

While the US and its allies have shipped billions in weapons to Ukraine since Russia invaded, Ukrainian officials say it isn’t enough to mount a counterattack. Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said Friday that Kiev “needs more” to mount a “sufficient counterattack and kick them outside of our country to liberate all occupied territory.”

This article was originally featured at Antiwar.com and is republished with permission.

Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp

Dave DeCamp is the news editor of Antiwar.com. Follow him on Twitter @decampdave.

View all posts

Our Books

Shop books published by the Libertarian Institute.

Our Books

cb0cb1ef 3fcb 417d 80d8 4eef7bbd8290

Recent Articles

Recent

News Roundup 8/18/2025

News Roundup 8/18/2025

Russia Report: Putin Proposal Includes Land Swaps, Recognition of Russian Language in Ukraine The Institute  Trump To Meet With Zelensky and European Leaders After Putin Summit AWC Korea North Korea Will Change Constitution to Forbid Improving Ties With South The...

read more
News Roundup 8/14/2025

News Roundup 8/14/2025

US News ‘This is Liberation Day:’ Trump Announces National Guard Deployment in DC The Institute  Pentagon to Create ‘Domestic Civil Disturbance Quick Reaction Force’ The Institute  President Sheinbaum Says US Troops Will Not Enter Mexico In Response Trump’s Order for...

read more
News Roundup 8/11/2025

News Roundup 8/11/2025

US News Trump Authorized Military Operations on Foreign Soil to Target Latin American Cartels AWC Russia Russia Says Putin-Trump Meeting Will Happen in the ‘Coming Days’ AWC Poll: 69% of Ukrainians Want Negotiated End to War as Soon as Possible AWC Zelensky Rejects...

read more

Pin It on Pinterest

Share This