'We should not underestimate Russia', NATO chief says

Jens Stoltenberg told AFP on Friday that NATO members must maintain support for Ukraine until "[Russian] President Putin understands that he cannot win on the battlefield."

Stoltenberg claimed that Moscow is preparing to prolong the war in Ukraine, stressing that the alliance's member states should keep the flow of arms to Kyiv.

The secretary-general added that there are currently no indications that Putin has, "given up his overall goal of controlling Ukraine".

"We should not underestimate Russia. Russia is planning for a long war," he said in the interview, adding that most likely this war will end at the negotiating table, as most wars do.

Regarding reports that the US is planning to send Patriot air defense systems to Kyiv, the chief mentioned that there is an ongoing discussion about the delivery of the system.

"We have a dialogue among allies on additional systems, but it becomes more and more important to ensure that all the systems that are delivered are functional," he said.

RHM/PR