British Prime Minister Boris Johnson also stated that it is necessary to prepare for a protracted conflict.
Like Johnson, Stoltenberg underlined that sending more weapons to Ukraine would make Kiev’s victory more likely.
Speaking to the German newspaper Bild, Stoltenberg said that more modern weapons to be supplied to Ukraine would increase the possibility of recapturing Donbas, which is mostly under Russian occupation.
Moscow has made some progress, albeit slowly, in this region in recent months.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson, writing in the Sunday Times newspaper published in Britain today, stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin is waging a “war of attrition in which he brutally tries to destroy the Ukrainian forces”:
“I’m afraid we need to prepare for a protracted war. Time is the most crucial factor. It all depends on whether Ukraine can renew its territorial defense power faster than Russia can replenish its offensive capacity.”
Johnson made a surprise visit to the Ukrainian capital, Kiev, on Friday, where he said that the weapons, equipment, ammunition and training support to be given to the Ukrainian army is faster than the Russian army’s access to them.
NEEDS MORE HEAVY WEAPONS
Ukrainian officials have also made statements emphasizing the need for more heavy weapons in recent days.
Although Western countries have sent large numbers of weapons to Ukraine to date, Ukrainian officials say this is only a small part of what is required for effective defense.
Russia, on the other hand, criticizes these arms aids and cites Ukraine’s goal of joining NATO as the reason for the invasion.
“We launched a special military operation because there was no other way to tell the West that it would be a crime to include Ukraine in NATO,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the BBC last week.
Although Ukraine is not a NATO member, it has previously expressed its intention to join the union.
Similarly, Kyiv wants to join the European Union.