17 Oct 2026
NATO chief: "Putin Wanted Less NATO, He Is Getting More NATO, More Troops and More NATO Members"
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Wednesday at the State Department that he will be convening a meeting with senior officials of Turkey, Finland and Sweden in the coming days in Brussels and is "confident" that they will find a way forward with NATO enlargement before the Madrid Summit at the end of this month, TURAN's Washington correspondent reports.
Speaking at a joint news conference with U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Stoltenberg touched on the significance of the membership bids of the two Nordic countries, calling it “historic” as it will "only strengthen our alliance.”
Putin, Stoltenberg said, made a strategic mistake by launching the war in Ukraine, and underestimated the strength of the Ukrainian people and unity of NATO.
“President Putin wanted less NATO, he is getting more NATO, more troops and more NATO members," he said.
He also pointed to the unity of allies and partners implementing the EU’s sanctions packages.
Stoltenberg further referred to why Ukraine must continue to receive support.
If Putin wins the war, he said, then "the price we have to pay would be higher than to now invest in support for Ukraine.”
President Joe Biden, along with his National Security Advisory Jake Sullivan, will meet with Stoltenberg at the White House today to discuss preparations for the Madrid Summit and "the strength of our transatlantic Alliance," the White House said.
Alex Raufoglu
Washington D.C.
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