NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg seemed to dismiss Pope Francis’ plea for Ukraine to “raise the white flag” to Russia, claiming that only Vladimir Putin has the option of ending the war immediately.
During a joint news conference on Monday morning with Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson, Stoltenberg hailed a “historic day” for NATO as Sweden’s flag was flown outside the alliance’s headquarters in Brussels for the first time following the country’s admission as its 32nd member last week, ending more than 200 years of neutrality.
According to Stoltenberg, the fact that Sweden joined the alliance proves that Putin’s attempt to undermine the Ukrainian government “failed.”
“When President Putin launched his full-scale invasion two years ago, he wanted less NATO and more control over his neighbours. He wanted to destroy Ukraine as a sovereign state, but he failed,” Stoltenberg was quoted by AFP as saying.
According to Stoltenberg, not only did the invasion of the Kremlin force Sweden and Finland to join NATO, but it also brought Ukraine “closer than ever before” to joining the alliance.
Stoltenberg added that “surrender is not peace” for Ukraine and that only the Russian president has the authority to put an end to the conflict, in what many considered a response to Pope Francis’ comments. The Catholic leader had previously called on Ukrainian President Zelensky to “raise the white flag” to protect the civilian population in the absence of a prospect of victory.
“Ukraine will become a NATO ally,” Stolbenberg said when asked if Kyiv will get an invitation to join NATO soon. “The question is not if but when. Ukraine is now closer to NATO membership than ever before.”
