Vladimir Putin might not have much to celebrate on the anniversary of his invasion of Ukraine as the boss of NATO has said it’s not ‘if’ but ‘when” the country will join the military defensive alliance.
Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO and former Norwegian Prime Minister, was speaking via video link to Western leaders gathered in the city of Kyiv to mark the two-year anniversary of the Russian invasion.
The Nato chief said: “President Putin started this war because he wanted to close Nato’s door, and deny Ukraine the right to choose its own path. But he has achieved the exact opposite: Ukraine is now closer to Nato than ever before.
“Ukraine will join Nato. It is not a question of if, but of when. As we prepare you for that day, Nato will continue to stand with Ukraine. For your security, and for ours.”
Despite recent reported Russian gains on the frontline against Ukraine, the Kremlin is thought to have sent more than 300,000 soldiers to their deaths since the invasion began on February 24, 2022.
Western nations have bolstered the Ukrainian defences with artillery, ammunition, tanks and missile systems, but NATO members have stopped short of officially putting any boots on the ground for fear of triggering World War III.
Around 30,000 Ukrainian soldiers are thought to have died defending their country in the past two years, and far more than that number of civilians are believed to have perished in Russian attacks on villages, towns and cities.
Former Prime Minister Boris Johnson was photographed meeting Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky today showing his support for the country. Mr Johnson was the first Western leader to visit Ukraine after the invasion and he still enjoys huge popularity there and a warm friendship with Zelesnky.
Meanwhile, President Putin has been savagely putting down any resistance after the mysterious death of opposition leader Alexei Navalny in prison.
Navalny, 47, Russia’s most well-known opposition politician, unexpectedly died on February 16 in a freezing remote penal colony, prompting hundreds of Russians across the country to stream to impromptu memorials with flowers and candles.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov rejected allegations that Putin was involved in Navalny’s death, calling them “absolutely unfounded, insolent accusations about the head of the Russian state.”
