Putin facing global humiliation as NATO summit looms

 

Ukraine is on the verge of becoming a full member of NATO, potentially expanding the military alliance to 33 countries and delivering a major blow to Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin regime. The world’s largest military alliance will convene next week in The Hague as tensions rise dangerously close to full-scale conflict.

NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte is expected to highlight the threat posed by Putin and his alliance with China, North Korea, and Iran—an axis whose aggressive ambitions threaten Europe and global security. After more than three years of brutal conflict and over 250,000 deaths, Ukraine’s entry into the 32-nation alliance appears ready for official approval.

A NATO spokesperson stated: “Ukraine’s security is critically important to NATO and its members. The alliance fully supports Ukraine’s sovereign right to self-defense and to determine its own security arrangements. Ukraine’s future lies within NATO.

“NATO and Ukraine have shared a partnership since the early 1990s, which has grown stronger over time. Following Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, cooperation deepened significantly. Since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, NATO and its allies have provided unprecedented support.”

While Ukraine is currently a NATO partner with close ties, it is not yet protected by the alliance’s collective defense guarantee.

NATO continues to support Ukraine against “Russia’s war of aggression,” with member countries supplying nearly all military aid to Kyiv.

Founded in 1949, NATO was established to prevent Soviet expansion in Europe. Its core principle is collective defense: an attack on one member is considered an attack on all.

Although NATO does not maintain a standing army, member nations’ militaries respond collectively when needed.

The alliance spans Europe and North America, including numerous Eastern European countries that joined after the Soviet Union dissolved in 1991—such as Albania, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia.

In 2008, NATO declared that Ukraine could one day join the alliance, but Russia has consistently opposed this, fearing NATO forces would then be stationed near its borders.

After Russia’s 2022 invasion, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called for accelerated NATO membership, but was told membership talks would proceed only after the conflict ended.

That stance may now shift following warnings from former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte about the escalating threat from the East. He said: “Russia has brought war back to Europe. We face terrorism and intense global competition. Russia is allied with China, North Korea, and Iran—countries rapidly expanding their militaries and capabilities. Putin’s war machine is accelerating. Russia is rearming with Chinese technology and producing weapons faster than anticipated. In ammunition alone, Russia can produce in three months what NATO produces in a year. This year, Russia’s defense industry plans to deliver 1,500 tanks, 3,000 armored vehicles, and 200 Iskander missiles. Russia could be ready to challenge NATO militarily within five years.

“China is modernizing and expanding its military at an unprecedented pace. It already fields the world’s largest navy and aims to grow to 435 ships by 2030. China is also building up its nuclear arsenal with plans for over 1,000 operational warheads by 2030.”

At last year’s summit in Washington, NATO members reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ukraine on its “irreversible path to NATO membership.”