NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg condemned Russia's attempt to annex the territories of Ukraine and called it a sign of weakness.

He also assured Ukraine of further support and commented on its intentions to join the Alliance.

Stoltenberg announced this at a press conference on September 30.

TSN.ua collected the main statements of the NATO leader.

About the annexation attempt

NATO Secretary General called Russian President Vladimir Putin's attempt to annex Ukrainian territories a sign of weakness.

"This is a sign of weakness. This admission shows that Russia's war against Ukraine is not going as planned. 

Putin has been defeated in his strategic goals

," Stoltenberg said.

He added that NATO strongly supports Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity, and assured the country of further support.  

Ukraine's entry into NATO

Stoltenberg said that NATO's doors remain open for any democratic country, commenting on the possibility of an accelerated procedure for Ukraine's accession to the Alliance.

"NATO allies met in Madrid, and then a clear statement was also made that we support Ukraine's right to choose its own path and decide which defense alliances to join. Of course,

the decision on this membership must be made by all 30 members.

This is a consensus decision." - said the head of the Alliance. 

Nuclear threats of the Russian Federation

Stoltenberg warned

Russia about significant consequences

in case of use of nuclear weapons.

"NATO is closely monitoring what Russia is doing. Russia must understand that a

nuclear war cannot be won

. And there will be very significant consequences for Russia if it uses nuclear weapons. This was clearly communicated to Russia. Therefore, we will continue to support Ukraine ", said the NATO Secretary General. 

About the end of the war

Stoltenberg said that

if Russia stops fighting, peace will come

.

However, if Zelenskyi and Ukraine stop fighting, it will cease to exist as an independent state.

"We call on President Putin to stop the war. He is responsible for starting it, and it is his responsibility to end it," NATO Secretary General added.

"We support Ukraine and this illegal annexation of Ukrainian territories does not change anything in the nature of this war," he emphasized.

We will remind you that on September 30, Putin signed a document that is an attempt to annex the occupied territories of Ukraine.

Shortly thereafter, Zelenskyi announced that Ukraine would submit an application to join the Alliance under an accelerated procedure.