No, NATO didn't admit that Ukraine should lose the war

Context

A video circulating on social media (archived here) allegedly shows NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg admitting that Ukraine should lose the war, highlighting the quote, "We all want this war to end. The quickest way to end the war is to lose it." 

The video post also includes the text, "NATO finally admits that the quickest way to end the Ukraine war is for Zelensky to lose."

However, Stoltenberg's words were taken out of context, significantly altering their meaning.

In fact

The clip is from a longer original video posted on NATO's YouTube channel on September 19, 2024. 

Titled "NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg farewell speech and conversation," it captures the moment (at 9:53) where Stoltenberg says the quote now spreading on social media about Ukraine's defeat being the quickest way to end the war. 

The part of Stoltenberg's comments included in the viral video. (Source: NATO News/YouTube, screenshot)

However, Stoltenberg immediately continues, "But that will not bring peace. It will bring Russian occupation. Today, President Putin believes he can achieve his goals on the battlefield. And he believes that he can wait us out. That is why he continues to wage his brutal war. I do not believe that we can change Putin's mind. But I do believe that we can change his calculus. By giving Ukraine more weapons, we can make Putin realize he cannot get what he wants by force."

The clip stops before Stoltenberg makes this comment. (Source: NATO News/YouTube, screenshot)

The full transcript of Stoltenberg's speech is available on NATO's official website and also proves that the words the post have been taken out of context.

The Facebook post encourages viewers to follow a specific account, AussieCossack (archived here), which is now inactive on Facebook, as a "protest against Meta censorship." An account with the same name, however, is active on X (formerly known as Twitter) and carries the same claim. One post (archived here) has garnered more than 800,000 views at the time of writing. The X account also features other examples of Russian propaganda.  

The verdict

Although NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg did say, "The quickest way to end the war is to lose it," the continuation of his speech makes it clear that this is not what NATO would want or expect to happen. His remarks, taken out of context, take on a different meaning. Therefore, we have classified this claim as misleading.