‘It was a mistake’: NATO official U-turn from controversial Ukraine comments

NATO Chief of Staff, Stian Jenssen, admitted on Wednesday that his controversial comments suggesting that Ukraine may gain membership in the alliance in exchange for ceding some territory to Russia was a “mistake.”

Jenssen told Norwegian newspaper Verdens Gang: “My statement about this was part of a larger discussion about possible future scenarios in Ukraine, and I shouldn't have said it that way. It was a mistake.”

He added: “If, and I emphasized if, you get to the point where you can negotiate, the military situation on the ground will be absolutely central, and will have a decisive influence on how a possible outcome of this war will look.”