NATO Secretary General Reveals What Will Happen If Russia Uses Chemical Weapons In Ukraine

CHUCK TODD: And becoming a member of me now from Brussels is the NATO Secretary Basic, Jens Stoltenberg. He will likely be internet hosting all the NATO leaders, together with President Biden, on Tuesday for an in-person leaders assembly. Mr. Secretary Basic, welcome to Meet the Press.

JENS STOLTENBERG: Thanks a lot for having me.

CHUCK TODD: Let me begin with the standing of peace talks. How critical have they change into, and what position is Turkey taking part in? You heard our report there from my colleague Richard Engel that they’re taking a much bigger position on this. What are you able to inform us, sir?

JENS STOLTENBERG: So to start with, we now have to do not forget that that is President Putin’s conflict, and he can finish it now. And that’s what all NATO allies name on Russia to do. Then, in fact, we welcome all efforts to discover a negotiated, peaceable answer. I visited Turkey just a few days in the past, met with President Erdoğan, and Turkey is performing some actual efforts to attempt to facilitate assist, talks between Russia and Ukraine. Nevertheless it’s far too early to say whether or not these or different talks can result in any concrete final result.

CHUCK TODD: We’ve seen an elevated focusing on of civilians, Mr. Secretary Basic, in Ukraine. How lengthy can NATO stand by and watch Russia goal civilians with out discovering a approach to assist extra relating to the Ukrainian resistance?

JENS STOLTENBERG: NATO allies are stepping up their assist to Ukraine, partly by delivering navy assist, humanitarian assist, and billions of economic assist to Ukraine. After which, in fact, we imposed unprecedented sanctions on Russia to make sure that they’re paying – President Putin is paying a excessive worth for this completely unjustified, mindless conflict towards an impartial sovereign nation, Ukraine. And let me additionally remind you of the truth that NATO allies have really skilled and supported Ukrainian armed forces for years, skilled tens of hundreds of Ukrainian forces, Particular Operation Forces, command and management, logistics. And all of this proves extraordinarily necessary now. These troops are on the frontline combating towards the invading Russian troops. So the assist allies have supplied over a few years proves now to have been extraordinarily necessary.

CHUCK TODD: If there’s a peace deal that offers Russia a bit of Ukraine, basically, are you involved that that may reward Russia for this aggression?

JENS STOLTENBERG: Ukraine is an impartial, sovereign nation, and I’ve full belief in President Zelensky and the federal government in making the proper judgments of what sort of peace talks they need to interact in and how much agreements they will comply with. Our duty is to assist Ukraine, as we do in many various methods, but additionally be sure that this battle won’t spiral uncontrolled or – or expands and escalate past Ukraine. That’s additionally the rationale why we now have considerably elevated our main presence within the japanese a part of the alliance.

CHUCK TODD: I wish to ask you about Tuesday’s assembly and the agenda. Very first thing, have you ever invited President Zelensky to attend remotely?

JENS STOLTENBERG: We haven’t but selected the precise format of that summit. It should happen on Thursday, subsequent week, with President Biden and all the opposite leaders. I’m in common contact and NATO ally leaders are in common contact with President Zelensky. And I believe the assembly of all heads of state and authorities in NATO will present us with yet one more platform to reveal our unity, our assist to Ukraine, but additionally our readiness to guard and defend all NATO allies. And by sending that message, we’re stopping an escalation of the battle to a full-fledged conflict between NATO and Russia. And I’d additionally prefer to commend and thank President Biden and the U.S. administration for his or her management all through this disaster. They warned towards this as early as final fall. After which the elevated presence of U.S. troops in Europe is one thing which is, in fact, very a lot welcomed by all allies.

CHUCK TODD: , again within the mid-90s, there was loads of speak – NATO was not going to intervene in what was occurring in Central Europe till the humanitarian disaster received so unhealthy that NATO ended up getting concerned. Is a no-fly zone without end off the desk in Ukraine? Or would the usage of chemical weapons make NATO rethink?

JENS STOLTENBERG: Allies assist Ukraine, however on the similar time, this can be very necessary that we stop this battle turning into a full-fledged conflict between NATO and Russia as a result of that may trigger far more harm, far more loss of life, destruction than what we see now in Ukraine. Russia is a nuclear energy. President Putin is now conveying very harmful nuclear rhetoric. And due to this fact, we’re supporting Ukraine, however on the similar time considerably rising the navy presence with the troops on land, at sea, and within the air. Germany and the U.Okay. have doubled their presence within the Baltic nations, of their battle teams there. The U.S. has now 100,000 troops there in Europe. And there are tens of hundreds of troops within the japanese half alliance to ship a message that escalation past Ukraine will likely be met with a really agency response from the entire alliance. And by doing that, we’re stopping a battle, not frightening a battle in Europe in the meanwhile.

CHUCK TODD: Russia’s use of chemical weapons, would that be thought of although an escalation on his half that may make NATO rethink?

JENS STOLTENBERG: Our core duty is to guard one billion individuals residing in 30 completely different NATO allied nations. And we’re doing that by rising the presence within the japanese a part of the alliance. I additionally consider that, no matter how this battle now ends, we’re confronted with a brand new actuality, a brand new safety actuality, the place Russia extra brazenly contests core values for our safety and are keen to make use of navy power to attain its targets. And due to this fact, we have to reset our deterrence and protection. And one of many points we’ll begin to focus on on the upcoming summit of NATO leaders subsequent week in Brussels is how we do the extra long run adaptation and the long run reset of deterrence and protection.

CHUCK TODD: All proper. It does sound like what you’re saying is you don’t have a solution but on what the usage of chemical weapons would do to NATO’s stance about Ukraine.

JENS STOLTENBERG: So any use of chemical weapons will likely be a blatant and brutal violation of worldwide regulation, the ban on the usage of chemical weapons. On the similar time, we all know that Russia has used chemical brokers in Europe earlier than towards their very own political opponents. They usually – Russia has been facilitating, supporting the Assad regime in Syria, the place chemical weapons has been used. So that is one thing we take extraordinarily critical. However on the similar time, once more, we aren’t – we’re very a lot conscious that we have to act in a approach that stops this battle from going from being a really bloody, ugly, horrific battle in Ukraine, to one thing that seems to be a full-fledged conflict between NATO and Russia in Europe and in addition probably involving, in fact, the US instantly. That may be extraordinarily harmful, and that’s precisely what we have to stop.