NATO on Wednesday branded Russia the most "direct threat" to allied security after Moscow's invasion of Ukraine and vowed to modernize the beleaguered Ukrainian military, saying it stood four-square with Kyiv in "the heroic defense of their country."
Ukrainian soldiers inspect a destroyed warehouse reportedly targeted by Russian troops on outskirts of Lysychansk, in the eastern Ukrainian region of Donbas on June 17, 2022. Aris Messinis/ AFP
As the 30 national NATO leaders were meeting in Madrid, Russian forces intensified attacks in Ukraine, including missile strikes on the southern Mykolaiv region close to front lines. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba later praised NATO's "clear-eyed stance" on Russia, adding: "An equally strong and active position on Ukraine will help to protect the Euro-Atlantic security and stability.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg had announced ahead of the summit that the alliance planned to increase the number of troops on high alert by seven-fold to more than 700,000. NATO's invitation to Sweden and Finland to join the bloc marks one of the most momentous shifts in European security in decades as Helsinki and Stockholm drop a tradition of neutrality in response to Russia's invasion.
Still, Western analysts say the Russians are taking heavy casualties and depleting resources, while the prospect of more Western weapons reaching Ukraine, including long-range missile systems, make Moscow's need to cement any gains more urgent.
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