Putin Suffered 'Big Strategic Defeat' in Ukraine War: NATO Leader

NATO's Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has declared that Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine resulted in a strategic defeat for President Vladimir Putin, asserting that Russia "has lost Ukraine forever."

Stoltenberg's statement came on the six hundred and sixty sixth day of battle, with the NATO leader saying that Russia failed to achieve its war aims, highlighting the high cost of its military efforts since the initial full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 22, 2022. However, Ukrainian officials, including intelligence representative Vadym Skibitsky, urge caution, suggesting that despite setbacks, Putin has not abandoned his objectives.

Stoltenberg, in a conversation with German news agency DPA on Friday, stated that Russia's invasion aimed to prevent Ukraine's alignment with NATO and the European Union (EU), but it has had the opposite effect. The secretary general noted that Ukraine is now closer than ever to Western institutions, marking a "big strategic defeat for Russia."

However, cautionary voices arise from Ukraine, challenging the finality of Stoltenberg's declaration. Skibitsky, a representative from Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence, suggests that Putin's failure to achieve his immediate goals does not equate to a relinquishment of his broader ambitions, saying that Putin will simply push the deadline for when he expects to achieve those goals, which indicates an ongoing threat from the Kremlin, according to Kyiv Post.

Skibitsky also said that the Russian government is concerned over a potential regime change in Moscow and the possible disintegration of the Russian Federation itself, which is currently fueling Russia's current foreign policy approach. The Institute for the Study of War (ISW) supports the intelligence representative's perspective, noting that Russia's current failures in Ukraine are not definitive and that Moscow continues to pursue its maximalist goals.

Newsweek has reached out to a NATO spokesperson and Ukraine's Main Directorate of Intelligence via email for comment.

Russian leaders, including Putin, paint a very different picture of the war in their public comments. The Russian president and his allies in the Kremlin claim their troops are performing well on the battlefield and have achieved key objectives in Ukraine.

Surfacing the extensive financial burden of the war for Russia, the NATO leader pointed to considerable military losses sustained by Moscow, which include hundreds of planes, thousands of tanks, and a significant number of casualties. Beyond the battlefield, Stoltenberg noted the broader economic and political repercussions for the Putin-led country, including increased international isolation, inflation, and deteriorating living standards.

On the Ukrainian front, Skibitsky said the country needs to de-occupy territories captured by Russia, with Crimea playing a "key role," describing the peninsula as a vital transit zone for Russian military supplies.

Stoltenberg acknowledged the Ukrainian army's achievements in reclaiming some occupied territories and winning key battles in Kiev, Kharkiv, and Kherson, saying that "the only way to reach a just and lasting solution is to convince President Putin that they will not win on the battlefield."

Those victories, Stoltenberg suggests, have reinforced Ukraine's position as a sovereign and independent state, capable of inflicting substantial losses on Russian forces.