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

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 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."

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."

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

Erdoğan 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.