Former Nato secretary general Jens Stoltenberg spoke to Channel 4 News about the next meeting between Trump and Putin, which will take place in Budapest.
4mFormer Nato chief Jens Stoltenberg has said President Putin wants to “control” Ukraine, but if Kyiv is successful on the battlefield, “the stronger the hand will be at the negotiating table”.
Mr Stoltenberg, who worked with President Trump during his first term, told Channel 4 News that “Ukraine and the United States are willing to sit down and talk to Russia”.
But, “the only way to end this war is to convince Putin that he will not win on the battlefield”.
Following the peace deal in Gaza, Donald Trump has declared himself the “mediator president”, and is now determined to end Russia’s war in Ukraine. He is due to meet President Putin in the Hungarian capital, Budapest.
Ayshah Tull asked if he thinks Ukraine will have to cede further territory, and Mr Stoltenberg pointed to the fact that President Zelenskyy has “opened up to accepting a ceasefire” along the lines of the current frontline.
But that was not the same as accepting that all the territory east of that frontline was Russian territory.
Mr Stoltenberg was asked how resilient Nato was in the face of Trump’s scepticism.
“Trump’s criticism is not necessarily against Nato – it’s against Nato allies not paying enough for Nato. But now that’s changing, Nato allies are investing more and more in defence.”
“I don’t think we can change Putin’s mind. He continues to want to control Ukraine. But I believe that we can change his calculus – that the price he has to pay to control Ukraine is too high.
“The stronger Ukraine is on the battlefield, the stronger the hand will be at the negotiating table. Military support is the way to achieve that.”
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