Stoltenberg admits NATO’s support for Ukraine after 2014 was insufficient

He made this statement at the Warsaw Security Forum, according to an Ukrinform correspondent.

“When I came to NATO in 2014, the majority of Allies were against providing military support to Ukraine, because they were afraid that could provoke Russia. So we actually didn't provide significant military support to Ukraine, and Russia invaded Ukraine, a full-scale invasion in 2022,” Stoltenberg said.

He emphasized that more decisive actions could have helped Ukraine defend itself more effectively, reduced the extent of occupation, or even prevented the invasion.

“So if we had done more, trained Ukrainians provided much more weapons and also lethal weapons, at least in the years after the illegal annexation in 2014 up to 2022, I think we either could have enabled the Ukrainians to at least be much more able to fight back, and Russia would have occupied less of their territory today, and or we could have prevented the invasion, because the calculus in Moscow could have been totally different,” Stoltenberg stressed.

He emphasized that Ukrainians managed to repel the aggressor even with limited support, and with greater backing from NATO, they could have actually deterred an aggression.

“And then when we saw Crimea in 2014, and later the full-scale invasion, we had to really start to invest more and build up our defense industry. And if anything, the lesson is that we should have done that much earlier,” Stoltenberg underscored.

He welcomed the increased support for the Ukrainian people and stressed the importance of preventing a Russian victory.

As reported by Ukrinform, today in Warsaw, former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg received the 2025 Knight of Freedom award for his outstanding contribution to European and global security and for strengthening the transatlantic community.

Photo: Krister Sørbø