The Secretary General of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), Jens Stoltenberg, yesterday warned the President of Russia that there will be a “firm and united” response in the event of an attack on critical infrastructure in member countries.
“Any deliberate attack against critical NATO infrastructure will have a firm and united response,” Stoltenberg said in statements to the American network NBA, when asked about the possibility of possible sabotage of the Nord Stream 1 gas pipeline.
On Russia’s recent annexation of four Ukrainian regions, Stoltenberg said that “the best response is to continue to support Ukraine”, quoted by Europa Press.
Asked about Ukraine’s petition to quickly join NATO, Stoltenberg stressed that the decision needs to be accepted by all members of the alliance.
Following the annexation of four Ukrainian regions (Donetsk, Lugansk, Kherson and Zaporijia) by Russia, Ukraine formalized on Friday an application to join NATO.
The possibility of Ukraine joining the Atlantic Alliance was one of the justifications given by Putin for ordering the invasion of the neighboring country on February 24 this year.
Before the invasion, Putin demanded guarantees from NATO that he would never accept the accession of Ukraine and Georgia, as well as the return of allied forces to the positions prior to the enlargement to the East, and NATO and the Western allies refused such demands.
The annexation of the four Ukrainian regions followed a partial mobilization decreed by Putin on September 21, after setbacks suffered by Russian troops in Ukraine.
The mobilization, which encompasses 300,000 reservists, has prompted tens of thousands of Russians to flee to neighboring countries.
The number of civilian and military casualties from the war in Ukraine is unknown, but several sources, including the UN, have stated that it will be very high.
