BERLIN ¨C Stian Jenssen, the chief of staff to the secretary-general of NATO, recently had his knuckles rapped when he commented on possible options for an end to the war in Ukraine that did not envision a complete Russian defeat.
¡°I¡¯m not saying it has to be like this, but I think that a solution could be for Ukraine to give up territory and get NATO membership in return,¡± he said during a panel discussion in Norway, according to the country¡¯s VG newspaper. He also said that ¡°it must be up to Ukraine to decide when and on what terms they want to negotiate,¡± which is NATO¡¯s standard line.
But the damage was done. The remarks provoked an angry condemnation from the Ukrainians; a clarification from his boss, Jens Stoltenberg; and ultimately an apology from Jenssen.
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