On Wednesday, Stian Jenssen, an official from NATO, acknowledged that his remarks made the previous day concerning Ukraine relinquishing land as a condition for joining the military alliance were in error.

Jenssen had stated during a panel debate in Arendal, Norway, “I think that a solution could be for Ukraine to give up territory, and get NATO membership in return,” as reported by Norwegian newspaper VG on Tuesday.

He also indicated that the decision on when and how to negotiate rested with Ukraine, CNBC has reported.

In a subsequent interview with VG on Wednesday, Jenssen clarified, “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.”

When queried for a statement from Jenssen, who serves as the director of the private office of NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, a NATO press officer referred CNBC to the updated VG article.

Jenssen’s initial comment sparked a reaction in Kyiv. Ukrainian presidential advisor Mykhailo Podolyak criticized the idea of exchanging territory for NATO membership on social media, labeling it as “ridiculous.”

Written by staff