Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg described in his memoirs a “painful moment” in 2022 when he declined a request from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to close the airspace over Ukraine, reports Baltimore Chronicle, with reference to Times. Stoltenberg recalled that the call came from Zelensky in a bunker in Kyiv, under attack by Russian forces at the time. The Ukrainian president requested that NATO prevent Russian aircraft, drones, and helicopters from operating in Ukrainian airspace, noting that NATO had previously taken similar measures.
Stoltenberg explained that NATO’s refusal was driven by the risk of direct confrontation with Russia. “If we had attempted to shoot down Russian aircraft or helicopters, we would have entered a real state of war between NATO and Russia, and at that moment we were not prepared for such a scenario. Then U.S. President Joe Biden also emphasized that we could not risk a third world war for Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said.
He added that during the conversation he feared it might be Zelensky’s last call, but he also affirmed that the decision not to deploy NATO troops was the right one. Nevertheless, Stoltenberg acknowledged that Western support for Ukraine had been insufficient and delayed. He believes that if Kyiv had received adequate military assistance early on, the full-scale invasion by Russia might have been avoided, as President Vladimir Putin may have concluded that invading a well-armed Ukraine was not feasible.
Earlier we wrote that Sergey Lavrov Falls Out of Favor with Putin After Trump Summit Cancellation.
