JABAR EKSPRES – The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) on Tuesday (8/15) affirmed support for Ukraine’s territorial integrity following comments made by its senior officials.
Speaking at a panel discussion in Norway, NATO Secretary-General Stian Jenssen proposed that Ukraine relinquish some of its territory to Russia.
In return, according to Jenssen, Ukraine would have membership in NATO in order to end the war.
“In my opinion, the solution is that Ukraine gives up territory and in return gets NATO membership,” he said.
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However, “it is up to Ukraine to decide when and on what terms it needs to negotiate,” Jenssen said, as quoted in a report by Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang on Tuesday (8/15).
However, Jenssen mentioned that the proposal was one of the possible solutions, not an official NATO stance on the issue.
An official NATO source commented on the statement.
“We fully support Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as NATO leaders affirmed at the Vilnius summit in July. We will continue our support to Ukraine for as long as it takes and we are committed to a just and lasting peace,” the NATO source said.
NATO has repeatedly stated that it will be up to Ukraine to decide on the timing and terms of a desired peace with Russia.
Ukrainian officials, on social media, criticized Jenssen’s statement.
“Talking about Ukraine joining NATO in exchange for giving up some territories is a completely unacceptable view,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleg Nikolenko said on Facebook.
“We have always assumed that the alliance, as well as Ukraine, does not trade territories,” he said.
“The participation of NATO officials in shaping the narrative regarding the possibility of Ukraine giving up such territories will benefit Russia,” Nikolenko said.
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak said on social media X that giving up territory – in exchange for membership in NATO – could mean deliberately defeating democracy.
