It is 123 days since Russia invaded Ukraine. These have been busy days for NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg. And it does not work in the first place; The NATO summit in Madrid begins on Tuesday. A new “strategic concept” will be defined for the next ten or so years. Probably with Russia in full focus. In an exclusive interview with news, Jens Stoltenberg says that despite everything, he retains some optimism. FAMILY PICTURE: NATO defense ministers stand together to take a joint picture in Brussels, 16 June. Photo: YVES HERMAN / Reuters Retaining faith despite the brutality of the war The NATO chief does not hide that it is a demanding time. – We see a much more brutal and dangerous world, says the general secretary to news. For four months, Jens Stoltenberg has been central to the West’s response to the invasion. He has been involved in organizing arms support to Ukraine and sanctions against Russia. He has received Swedish and Finnish applications for membership in NATO, and handled the opposition from Turkey. In the midst of it all, there have been personal challenges. In March, Stoltenberg chose to resign from the upcoming CEO job at Norges Bank. Then he became infected with corona and got shingles. The eyebrows and forehead wrinkles express a certain concern. But the belief in NATO’s work is strong, says Stoltenberg: – I feel that there is a fundamental optimism and belief in the importance of strong international institutions. Especially NATO. I am very optimistic about what we can achieve by decision; both in terms of strengthening NATO’s collective defense, in terms of supporting Ukraine, and in terms of adopting a completely new strategic concept. REACTION FORCE: Czech soldiers who form part of NATO’s rapid reaction force participate in an exercise in Pardubice in the Czech Republic in 2015. Photo: Petr David Josek / AP Multiply the number of NATO soldiers in the emergency forces A few hours before the interview with news, Stoltenberg announced a fundamental change in NATO’s capabilities : The Alliance plans to drastically expand its Rapid Reaction Force to over 300,000 troops. The reaction force currently consists of around 40,000 soldiers. It is the largest overhaul of NATO’s defense capability since the Cold War. TOGETHER: Heads of state and Jens Stoltenberg are sitting together in The Hague to prepare for the meeting in Madrid. Photo: POOL / Reuters – Overall agreement on support for Ukraine Some believe that Ukraine should be more willing to accept a peace agreement. Among other things, because the war causes major economic and humanitarian problems in the rest of the world. – Of course we pay a price, both militarily and economically. But first, the Ukrainians pay a much higher price. They pay with lost human lives, and massive destruction of their country, every single day. And secondly, the price we risk paying if we do not support the Ukrainians now is much, much higher, Stoltenberg answers. Commentators have nevertheless questioned how united the West now stands in the Ukraine war. NEGOTIATION ATTEMPT: French President Emmanuel Macron is among the leaders who have tried hardest to end the war by holding talks with Putin. In early February, just before the war, he himself went to Moscow. Photo: – / AFP The French president has tried to negotiate with Putin and has said that the Russian leader “must not be humiliated”. Italian politicians have wanted to limit arms aid to Ukraine. Admittedly, the NATO chief believes in the agreement between the Allies ahead of the Madrid summit. – I think President Zelensky will ask for more support, and he will get more support. There is a general agreement among the allies that the Ukrainians need massive support, he says. – We must not have any illusions Far from Brussels and Madrid, the attack on Ukraine continues. Over the weekend, several apartment blocks in Kyiv were hit by Russian artillery fire. CRATER: A puddle of water has filled the place where a Russian missile created a crater after an attack on Sunday 26 June. Photo: Nariman El-Mofty / AP – The attacks on Kyiv this weekend show that it is a brutal war. It is a war with great human suffering and great losses. It shows how important it is to end the war, comments Stoltenberg. The Secretary-General will not speculate on Putin’s political situation internally in Russia, which is increasing the brutality of the war: – But we must not have any illusions about President Putin’s willingness to inflict losses on both the civilian population and the Ukrainian military, own losses to achieve their goals. Full focus on Russia The NATO summit in Madrid starts on Tuesday. The leaders of the 30 NATO countries will agree on the defense alliance’s new “strategic concept”. NATO’s “strategic concept” is in a way a roadmap. An overall plan for what the alliance is, how it should relate to the rest of the world, and how it should thus act. SMILING: Russia’s then-president Dmitry Medvedev talks to two smiling US and French presidents during the Lisbon summit in Lisbon in 2010. Photo: POOL / Reuters The previous concept was set in 2010 in Lisbon, and the assessment was then that the NATO countries were relatively safe . An attack on NATO countries was considered highly unlikely. When news met Stoltenberg last summer, it was China that was highest on the agenda. Now it seems that Russia is back in focus. And the alliance is perhaps more important than ever. DOES HE ROW IT IN LAND? Jens Stoltenberg will row with Swedish Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson at her resort Harpsund, 13 June. Many have hoped that Sweden and Finland will be given the green light to become NATO members after the meeting in Madrid. Photo: TT NEWS AGENCY / Reuters Intense talks about Sweden and Finland The Madrid meeting will also largely be about the ongoing negotiations on Finland and Sweden’s NATO applications. On Saturday, Stoltenberg met Turkish President Erdogan. Today he meets Sweden’s Prime Minister Magdalena Andersson. – I’m very careful about promising something. When many countries are involved, it is not possible to say what the outcome will be. At the same time, it is very good that we have intense conversations. We are working what we can to bring about a solution, says the NATO chief about the process.
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