ATHENS

The head of NATO said Thursday that the alliance remains committed to the territorial integrity of Ukraine, Norwegian media reported Thursday.

The remarks by Jens Stoltenberg were in response to comments by his chief of staff, Stian Jensen, who said Ukraine may eventually cede territory to Russia as part of a deal to end the war, public broadcaster NRK noted.

“His (Jensen's) message, which is also my main message, which is also NATO's main message, is, first of all, that NATO's policy has not changed. We support Ukraine,” he said. “If we want peace, military support for Ukraine is the solution.”

Stoltenberg acknowledged there are ongoing discussions in the alliance about how the war in Ukraine should end.

“It is the Ukrainians themselves who must decide when they are willing to sit down at the negotiating table,” he said.​​​​​​​