NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg has urged partners not to criticize the Defence Forces' counter-offensive on the frontline, but to trust and help the Ukrainian military. The country's army is advancing to liberate the territories seized by Russia, but it is a very hard fight.

The North Atlantic Alliance secretary general said this in an interview with CNN journalist Christiane Amanpour. She released a fragment of the conversation on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Wednesday, August 30.

Stoltenberg emphasized that Ukrainian Armed Forces fighters are gaining ground, pushing back Russian occupation troops and passing through heavily defended areas, particularly minefields.

"It is even more important now to support them because everyone knows it is a tough fight... But they have achievements, they are gaining ground," he said.

NATO Secretary General noted that Ukrainian servicemen always exceed expectations, so they should be trusted, In addition, the country's military commanders have a great responsibility for making difficult decisions on the battlefield.

"Difficult decisions depend on Ukrainians and on the command on the battlefield. We see that Ukrainians have exceeded expectations each time... We have to trust them. We advise, we help, we support. But these decisions should be made by Ukrainians," Stoltenberg said.

As reported by OBOZREVATEL, Stoltenberg commented on the shocking statement of the head of his office Stian Jenssen who said Ukraine could allegedly "cede" its territory to Russia in exchange for NATO membership. He emphasized that only Kyiv would determine the terms of possible negotiations with the aggressor country.

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