Jens Stoltenberg, the head of NATO, described the Moscow-organized referendum on Russian annexation in four of Ukraine’s active regions as a “sham” and “a flagrant violation of international law.”
During their conversation, Stoltenberg “made clear that NATO Allies remain resolute in our support for Ukraine’s sovereignty and right to self-defense,” according to a tweet from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
“The sham referenda held by Russia have no legitimacy and are a blatant violation of international law. These lands are Ukraine,” Stoltenberg said.
On the fifth and last day of the Moscow-organized elections in the Ukrainian provinces, he made his announcement. Authorities established by the Kremlin were already asserting that Russia had won the uncounted votes.
Although NATO is not actively involved in the crisis in Ukraine, the fallout from it, particularly the skyrocketing energy costs, has been felt throughout Europe, where the majority of the alliance’s members are located.
Leaks from two gas pipelines connecting Russia to Germany that are now not in service made the energy crisis much more serious, with Denmark and Poland raising concerns about possible sabotage.
Stoltenberg, later speaking to center-left EU lawmakers, said that while facts of the pipeline leaks were not yet clear, “Russia is now weaponizing energy”.
He added that Russia had exacerbated the situation by holding “sham” votes, mobilizing more personnel into its army, and threatening nuclear strikes if attempts were made to break its grip on areas it holds.
“All this is a serious escalation of the conflict. Our message is that any use of nuclear weapons is absolutely unacceptable,” Stoltenberg said.
“It will totally change the nature of the conflict and Russia must know that the nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought.”
No one could predict how long the conflict in Ukraine would last, he said, adding that NATO allies were prepared “to continue supporting Ukraine for the long term.”
To do this, NATO nations must “scale up” their weapon manufacture after emptying their own national stockpiles to support Ukraine’s armed forces.
He claimed to have presided over an emergency meeting of NATO weapons officials early on Tuesday and said that they were now debating ways to increase production while working with the EU to increase supplies to Ukraine and secure the defense of allies.
