NATO deputy chief: War in Ukraine enters a decisive phase, no risk of escalation

NATO’s deputy secretary general, Mircea Geoana, says the war in Ukraine will enter a decisive phase in the coming weeks.

“We are entering a decisive phase of the war that Russia has waged against Ukraine. We anticipate that the coming weeks will be decisive, even if the war will last for a longer period,” he told an interview with Al Jazeera.

Geoana emphasized that the Alliance does not expect the war to escalate and involve NATO. “We do not see, from a military point of view, that Russia wants or can escalate the conflict, especially with NATO. The fact that NATO has mobilized significant additional forces on the eastern flank, that we have activated for the first time in history the defensive plan for the eastern countries, was discouraging,” he said.

However, Mircea Geoana added the war is expected to continue in Ukraine.

“The war will continue, with more intensity and more casualties, but we do not see a risk of escalation between Russia and NATO and we are also trying to avoid such a scenario,” he said.

Geoana also spoke in the interview about how Ukraine handled Russia’s attack on Vladimir Putin.

“Ukraine, as a military force, has reached a quasi-NATO standard, while Russia has remained a post-Soviet army. I don’t think the differences in the quality of military leadership surprised us. We were surprised by the incredible courage of the Ukrainians, of everyone, not just the army. The communication skills of President Zelensky and his team“, the NATO deputy secretary general said.