NATO’s strategy of building good relations with Russia after the end of the Cold War was correct, said former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg in an interview with Spiegel magazine. Today, he said, the West must at least prevent “any misunderstanding” on the part of Moscow.

I still think it was the right strategy. It was right after the Cold War to try to improve relations with Russia ,” Stoltenberg said .

The former Secretary General of the Alliance expressed concerns that otherwise all other countries, like Russia, will stop taking NATO seriously. Also in the interview, Stoltenberg called the start of the Russian special operation the most difficult moment for him during his years in office. He called the world today increasingly unpredictable and unstable.

Earlier, the former Secretary General said that NATO countries’ military aid to Ukraine after 2014 could have prevented an armed conflict. He did not criticize the Alliance allies, but stressed that they could have done much more to help Kiev.

Stoltenberg also admitted that Ukraine might have to give up the territories it lost during the conflict. This is how the politician answered journalists’ question about what advice he would give to President Volodymyr Zelensky regarding the prospects for peace talks with Moscow.

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