After Russian Invasion, NATO Chief Visits Kyiv
- The largest security partnership in the world has focused on improving its own defenses to stop Putin from attacking any of its member countries.
- The U.S. and many other NATO members are giving weapons, ammo, and training to Ukraine's troops, who are in danger, both individually and in groups.
A NATO source said Thursday that NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg is going to Ukraine for the first time since Russia began its full-scale invasion more than a year ago.
“The head of NATO is in Ukraine right now. “We’ll tell you more as soon as we can,” said an alliance source who asked not to be named because that’s how NATO works.
Local media showed pictures of Stoltenberg giving tribute to Ukrainian soldiers who had died in Kyiv’s St. Michael’s Square.
Aside from the important symbolism of the meeting, it wasn’t clear at first what Stoltenberg’s trip was for. Ukraine is not an official part of NATO. As an organization made up of 31 countries, it only gives nonlethal help to the government in Kyiv. This includes generators, medical equipment, tents, military uniforms, and other goods.
Stoltenberg has been the alliance’s strong voice throughout the war, and he has played a key role in getting and coordinating support from the 31 members for Ukraine as the country tried to keep its land.
Stoltenberg had been to Kyiv before the war, but this is the first time he has been there during the fighting. This shows how long the alliance has been committed to protecting Ukraine’s freedom.
This month, Finland became a member of NATO. This was a big blow to Russian President Vladimir Putin and a big change in Europe’s post-Cold War security environment, which was caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
By joining, the Nordic country gives Russia a second border with the biggest defense alliance in the world. Sweden, which is close by, is also likely to join in the coming months, maybe even before U.S. President Joe Biden and his NATO peers meet in Vilnius, Lithuania, on July 11 and 12.
The largest security partnership in the world has focused on improving its own defenses to stop Putin from attacking any of its member countries. Under the collective security guarantee, an attack on one NATO state is seen as an attack on all of them.
The U.S. and many other NATO members are giving weapons, ammo, and training to Ukraine’s troops, who are in danger, both individually and in groups. However, NATO as a whole wants to stay out of any possible war with Russia, which has nuclear weapons.
On Friday, Stoltenberg will go to Germany’s Ramstein Air Base for a meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
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