UPDATE - Ukraine's achievements at negotiating table depend on strength on battlefield: NATO chief

By Faruk Zorlu

ANKARA (AA) – Ukraine making progress at the negotiating table with Russia to end the war depends on its strength on the battlefield, said NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday.

In a joint press conference with Romanian Prime Minister Nicolae Ciuca at the NATO headquarters in Brussels, Stoltenberg said: "We need to strengthen Ukraine's hand at the negotiating table by providing military support, and that's exactly what NATO allies are doing to maximize the likelihood for an outcome which is acceptable for Ukraine."

He went on to say that Russia’s armed forces were losing ground in Ukraine, adding: "The stronger Ukraine is on the battlefield, the more likely it is that we will have a political solution that ensures that Ukraine prevails as a sovereign independent nation in Europe."

Touching on Ukraine's recent "significant gains" on the battlefield, he said: "Wars end at the negotiating table and at the same time we know that what Ukraine can achieve at the negotiating table is totally dependent on the strength on the battlefield."

Stressing the importance of support from NATO allies and partners for Ukraine’s progress, he added "NATO cannot allow Russian President Putin to win the Moscow-Kyiv war,” calling such a victory a “tragedy for Ukrainians."

Reiterating NATO's commitment to continue its support for Ukraine, he said: "I will not speculate about how long the war will last ... We are ready to support Ukraine for as long as it takes."

- Stoltenberg's visit to Türkiye

Stoltenberg said he will soon visit Türkiye to discuss with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan the NATO accession processes of Sweden and Finland.

"We are in close contact with Finland, Sweden and also, of course, in close contact at all levels with our close ally, Türkiye," he said.

The purpose of the visit to Türkiye is to "ensure that as soon as possible 30 allies would have ratified the Accession Protocol, and to enable Finland and Sweden to become full members of the alliance," he underlined.

Expressing his confidence that all allies will ratify the accession protocol, he said: "I also welcome the fact that Finland and Sweden are in close contact with Türkiye."

Erdogan has said the bid cannot go forward until the two Nordic countries fulfill their obligations under a pact signed this June, such as the extradition of suspected terrorists to Türkiye and not allowing terror groups to operate within their borders.