NATO official admits comments on Ukraine giving up territory to gain membership were a 'mistake'

NATO authoritative Stian Jenssen connected Wednesday said comments helium made the erstwhile time regarding Ukraine ceding onshore successful bid to summation rank to the subject confederation were a "mistake."

Jenssen said during a sheet statement successful Arendal, Norway: "I deliberation that a solution could beryllium for Ukraine to springiness up territory, and get NATO rank successful return," Norwegian paper VG reported Tuesday. He besides said it was up to Ukraine to determine erstwhile and connected what presumption it negotiates.

He told VG successful a follow-up interview Wednesday: "My connection astir this was portion of a larger treatment astir imaginable aboriginal scenarios successful Ukraine, and I shouldn't person said it that way. It was a mistake."

A NATO property serviceman directed CNBC to the caller VG nonfiction erstwhile asked for a connection from Jenssen, who is manager of the backstage bureau of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

The archetypal remark caused a disturbance successful Kyiv. His words appeared to beryllium criticized by Ukrainian statesmanlike advisor Mykhailo Podolyak connected societal media, who called the conception of giving up territory for NATO rank "ridiculous."

Podolyak added that to bash truthful would beryllium "deliberately choosing the decision of democracy, encouraging a planetary criminal, preserving the Russian regime, destroying planetary law, and passing the warfare connected to different generations."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and different officials person repeatedly said Ukraine is not consenting to springiness up immoderate of its territory successful bid to scope a bid deal.

In the follow-up interrogation Wednesday, Jenssen said helium had ever stressed immoderate determination was wholly Ukraine's to make.

He besides said the astir important happening was to proceed to enactment Ukraine with its counteroffensive.

"Many person commented that it is going a small slower than they had hoped. I would inactive similar to adhd a effect of optimism to this, arsenic I besides said successful the Arendal debate. One indispensable retrieve that astatine the outbreak of warfare determination was a interest that Ukraine could illness wrong weeks and days," helium told VG.

"It has not happened astatine all. They person shown a heroic effort against the superior power. The taxable present is however overmuch territory Ukraine is capable to instrumentality back," helium said.

Kyiv applied for fast-track NATO rank successful September 2022. NATO allies successful 2023 stated a committedness to eventual Ukraine rank nether definite conditions, including "democratic and information assemblage reforms."