Stian Jensen, Director of the Private Office of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, has expressed the view that Ukraine could become a NATO member in exchange for ceding part of its territory to Russia, which he said would also end the war.

Speaking at a panel in Norway on Ukraine’s future in NATO along with university professors and experts, Jensen said, among others, that one solution could be for Ukraine to cede territory and receive NATO membership in return, adding that he didn’t say that this has to happen, but that it might be a possible solution.

Asked by the Norwegian newspaper VG if this is NATO’s view, Jensen pointed out that the discussion on the post-war regime is already underway and that the issue of ceding territory to Russia has already been raised by others. He says that there should be thoughts about the security situation in Ukraine after the end of the war and that it is important to have a discussion about it.

Jens Stoltenberg avoids questions on what Ukraine should do to end the war. He has pointed out that the priority is for Ukraine to prevail in the war, as only then will its inclusion in the alliance and the security provided by Article 5 of NATO be given.

Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelensky, failed to secure the expected – from Kyiv – invitation for his country to officially join the Alliance at the recent NATO Summit in Vilnius. Instead, Kyiv was assured that the country could join the Alliance after the end of the war with Russia.

Also read: NATO | Agreement on Ukraine’s accession path – Without timetable or invitation

On behalf of Ukraine, the “right hand” of Volodymyr Zelensky, Mykhailo Podoliak, commented on the proposal, who spoke of a ridiculous proposal and a deliberate choice to defeat democracy, encourage a global criminal, preserve the Russian regime, destroy international law, and transfer war to other generations.

The creation of the narrative of the territory concession to Russia in exchange for NATO accession is absolutely unacceptable, said the representative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, Oleg Nikolenko, in a post on Facebook, responding to a statement by Stoltenberg’s associate.

He also warned that the conscious or unconscious participation of NATO officials in shaping the narrative about the possibility of Ukraine ceding part of its territory is playing into Russia’s hands. Instead, according to Nikolenko, it is in the interest of Euro-Atlantic security to discuss ways to speed up Ukraine’s victory and full NATO membership.

Finally, the diplomat noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine is determined to continue fruitful cooperation with the NATO Secretariat to achieve these goals.

With information from: APA MPA, Reuters, reporter.gr

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