interview with newspaper VG On 16 August Stian Jensen of Norway clarified his resolution: “My statement on this matter is part of a larger discussion of possible future scenarios in Ukraine. I shouldn’t have said it that way. It was a mistake.”
Mr. Jensen said that discussions are underway about Ukraine’s membership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in the future, considering several options including concessions. However, he stressed that Ukraine is the last party to decide when to hold talks and under what conditions.
Mr. Jensen also said that Russia is unlikely to conquer any new territory. The question now is how much territory Ukraine can take back in the ongoing counteroffensive.

Mr. Stian Jensen, Chief of Staff to the NATO Secretary General. Photo: VG
The day before (17 August) Mr Jensen suggested that Ukraine could cede territory to Russia in return for membership in NATO, the US-led military alliance.
This suggestion angered Mykhailo Podolyak, literary adviser to the Ukrainian president. Mr Podolyak said it would be “ridiculous” to exchange territory for a “NATO umbrella”. Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolaenko said that any idea of Ukraine giving up part of its territory to join NATO is unacceptable.
Sheet hill An unnamed NATO official also rejected the offer in a newspaper interview. european truth On the Ukrainian side, “clear and unwavering” support for Kiev was emphasized.
“We fully support the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as reiterated by NATO leaders at the Vilnius summit in July,” the official said.

Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that “the West makes money from the conflict in Ukraine, it is not interested in peace”. Photo: TASS
Meanwhile, news agency… TASS On 16 August, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of the Russian Security Council, was quoted as saying that the West was not interested in negotiating a peaceful solution in Ukraine, because “they want to earn as much money as possible for the organization”. Its military-industrial complex.
Mr. Medvedev, taking part in the Army-2023 forum, said: “The West’s speculation that the time has come to sit down at the negotiating table and start peace talks shows how cunning they are. The West doesn’t want that. It want to keep.” Struggling to make money for my budget”.
Medvedev reiterated that Russian troops have been “very successful” in removing Western-supplied equipment and will continue to do so. According to him, in the context of Ukraine’s defeat in the conflict, the West is “considering the possibility that it is necessary to return to the negotiating table to reach some compromise”.