Stoltenberg: Peace Summit in Switzerland demonstrates broad international support for Ukraine
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has said he welcomes the Summit on Peace for Ukraine which took place in Switzerland and demonstrated a broad international support for Kyiv.
"I welcome the peace summit that took place in Switzerland over the weekend. This demonstrates there is broad international support for Ukraine," he said at a press conference following his meeting with U.S. President Joseph Biden on June 17.
The Secretary General emphasized that what happens around the negotiating table is inextricably linked to the situation on the battlefield.
"And as long as President Putin believes that they can win on the battlefield that they can wait us out, there will be no lasting peace in Ukraine. So if you want a peace in Ukraine, the best way of achieving that is to strengthen Ukraine, its military capabilities, so they can negotiate from a position of strength and ensure that Ukraine prevails and survive as a sovereign independent nation," he said.
When asked by reporters to comment on Putin's latest "peace" proposals, Stoltenberg said that "Russia has not really put forward an offer [for peace]."
"President Putin said that the precondition for a ceasefire is that Ukraine should give up even more land, to give up all the four provinces that Russia has annexed without controlling. So not only should Ukraine give up the land that Russia is controlling today, but Ukraine should also give up land that Russia is not controlling today. That was a precondition for a ceasefire. This is not a peace offer. This is a proposal that Russia should actually achieve its war aims by convincing Ukraine to give up its sovereignty and territorial integrity," he said.