A day after saying publicly that Ukraine could cede territory to Russia in exchange for joining NATO and ending the war, Stian JensenChief of Staff to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, apologized and provided further clarification, according to a Guardian report.

The senior NATO official told a Norwegian newspaper that he should not have spoken as bluntly as he did after his initial comments provoked an angry reaction from Kiev.

At an open event in Norway on Tuesday, Jensen had said any peace deal reached would have to be acceptable to Ukraine, but alliance members were debating how the 18-month war could be ended.

“I think one solution could be for Ukraine to give up territory and get NATO membership in return,” Jensen told his audience, noting that discussions about Ukraine’s post-war status continue in diplomatic circles.

A day later, he gave an interview to the same newspaper, VG, that had made the statements. “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 wrong,” he said.

But Jensen did not dismiss the idea that a deal on the territorial issue over NATO membership could eventually be on the table. If there were serious peace negotiations, then the military situation at the time, including who controls what territory, “will necessarily have a decisive influence,” the chief of staff said.

“It is precisely for this reason that it is vital that we support the Ukrainians with whatever they need,” the official continued as he sought to emphasize that NATO members remained behind Ukraine.

Jensen was careful in his initial comments to stress that he was just putting forward an idea and that “it is up to Ukraine to decide when and on what terms they want to negotiate,” reflecting NATO’s position that no peace settlement should be agreed without Ukraine.