 Prepare for long war NATO chief the West must prepare for a long war in Ukraine NATO Secretary General Jen Stoltenberg declared despite claiming to want a quick peace in Ukraine Stoltenberg insisted that he still supports President Volodymyr Zelensky's goal of a military victory over Russia most wars last longer than expected when they first begin Stoltenberg said in an interview with Germany's funk media group therefore we must prepare ourselves for a long war in Ukraine according to media reports over the last two months Western officials and military planners have conceded that Ukraine's ongoing counteroffensive against Russian forces is unlikely to succeed leaving the front lines mostly unchanged as winter sets in we are all wishing for a quick peace Stoltenberg said but at the same time we must recognize if President Zelensky and the Ukrainians stop fighting their country will no longer exist if President Putin and Russia lay down their weapons we will have peace Zelensky issued a decree forbidding all negotiations with Russia furthermore he has repeatedly vowed to retake the former Ukrainian regions of Donetsk, Lugansk, Kursan and Zaporose as well as Crimea Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said negotiations would be held not with Zelensky who is a puppet in the hands of the West but directly with his masters