“PIVOTAL MOMENT”
Putin’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has been a seismic shock for the West.
It has forced NATO to carry out its biggest adaptation since the end of the Cold War by massively bolstering its eastern flank and it has seen Finland and Sweden push to enter the alliance.
“This is the most dangerous security crisis we have been in in Europe since the Second World War,” Stoltenberg said.
“This is a pivotal moment for security.”
Stoltenberg said that while there had been a drop-off recently in nuclear threats from Putin, the alliance remained “vigilant and will constantly monitor what they do.
“Nuclear rhetoric in reference to potential use of nuclear weapons is reckless, is dangerous,” the NATO chief said.
“His aim is of course to deter us from supporting Ukraine, but he will not succeed in doing that.”
Stoltenberg’s current term as NATO head is set to expire towards the end of 2023, after allied leaders in March extended his tenure for an extra year because of the war raging in Ukraine.
The former Norwegian prime minister, 63, remained non-committal on whether he would definitely leave the post next year, saying only “I have no other plans”.
He would not be drawn on calls from some for a woman to succeed him as NATO’s first female secretary general.
“My focus is on fulfilling my responsibilities as secretary general of NATO in a way that ensures that this alliance continues to stand together,” he said.
“That’s my only focus and then I leave it to the heads of state and government to decide what happens after my term.”
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