BRUSSELS

NATO will not allow Russia to win the war in Ukraine because that "would be a tragedy," Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said on Friday.

Talking to reporters on his way to the Munich Security Conference, Stoltenberg reiterated NATO’s support for Ukraine “for as long as it takes,” and stressed that the war highlighted the importance of the military cooperation between the US and Europe.

“We will not allow President (Vladimir) Putin to win this war. It would be a tragedy for Ukraine, but also very dangerous for us,” he said.

Stoltenberg explained that NATO “follows closely” the increased military cooperation between Russia and China as “they exercise together, they have naval patrols, air patrols together.”

“The war in Ukraine demonstrates that security is not regional, it is global,” he said, asserting that if Russia wins in Ukraine, that will affect Chinese foreign and security policy as well.

Following his visit to Türkiye on Thursday, Stoltenberg called the earthquake “the biggest natural disaster on NATO territory since NATO was founded.”

He reassured that NATO allies have provided significant support, such as rescue teams, humanitarian aid, temporary housing, and strategic airlift.

Asked about the membership process of Finland and Sweden, Stoltenberg said “I have made it clear in my meetings in Ankara that the time has come to ratify both (accession) contracts and make them full-fledged members.”

He said it is a “Turkish decision” whether they ratify the two countries’ accession protocols together or separately.​​​​​​​