• NATO's Secretary-General said there has been "no indication" that Putin's ambitions have changed.  
  • Jens Stoltenberg told reporters in Brussels that Putin still wants to control all of Ukraine.
  • Meanwhile, he said Russian forces have repositioned to prepare of an offensive in the east. 

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said Russian President Vladimir Putin still wants to capture all of Ukraine, despite repositioning forces to the eastern Donbas region.

"We have seen no indication that President Putin has changed his ambition to control the whole of Ukraine and also to rewrite the international order," Stoltenberg told reporters before meeting with foreign ministers in Brussels on Wednesday, and said the alliance needs to be prepared for the "long haul."

He added: "We are now in the critical phase of the war, which is that Russia is moving forces out of the north to reinforce them, to resupply them, to rearm them, and then to move them into the east, where we are expecting a major offensive."

Russian forces will likely launch a "concentrated" offensive in the Donbas region in the coming weeks, Stoltenberg previously said, after moving a significant portion of troops away from Kyiv.   

Ukraine has been fighting Moscow-backed rebels in the Donbas region since 2014, when Putin's forces also annexed Crimea.

NATO General Secretary Jens Stoltenberg speaks during a press conference to present the next North Atlantic Council (NAC) Ministers of Foreign Affairs meeting, at the NATO headquarters in Brussels on April 5, 2022. Foto: Photo by FRANCOIS WALSCHAERTS/AFP via Getty Images

The region became a key focus in recent months during the buildup to the current war, where Russia staged pretexts to try and justify an invasion of Ukraine.

Stoltenberg also said on Wednesday that Putin wants to control all of the Donbas, and establish a land bridge between the region and Russia.  

"We need to support Ukraine, sustain our sanctions, and strengthen our defenses and our deterrence because this can last for a long time and we need to be prepared for that," Stoltenberg said. 

Stoltenberg's remarks echoed those of US Gen. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, who told Congress on Tuesday that the war could last years. 

"There is much of the ground war left in Ukraine, but I do think this is a very protracted conflict. And I think it's at least measured in years," Milley told the House Armed Services Committee.

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