NATO marks 75 years, grapples with Ukraine crisis

NATO marks 75 years, grapples with Ukraine crisis | Daily Tribune

BRUSSELS (AFP) — The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) celebrated its 75th anniversary on Thursday, with the Western alliance confronted by the pressing challenge of providing more support to Ukraine in its ongoing conflict that is causing turmoil in Europe.

Foreign ministers from NATO’s 32 countries gathered in a ceremony at its Brussels headquarters to fete the organization that touts itself as the “most powerful and successful alliance in history.”

But, amid the cake-cutting and speeches, NATO is grappling with one of its most serious challenges since it emerged from the ashes of World War II in 1949 to counter the Soviet Union.

“As we celebrate NATO’s achievements, we do not rest upon them,” alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said. “Europe now faces war on a scale we thought was resigned to history.”

Since Russia launched its all-out invasion of Ukraine two years ago, a reinvigorated NATO has added Finland and Sweden to its ranks and bolstered its forces in eastern Europe.

Alliance members also have thrown their weight behind Kyiv — which is bidding to join NATO — by sending Ukraine weapons worth tens of billions of dollars.

But those supplies have now dwindled as support from leading NATO power, the United States, remains stuck by political wrangling. On the frontline, Ukraine’s outgunned forces have been pushed onto the back foot.

In the face of surging Russian missile attacks on its infrastructure, Kyiv is pleading with its Western backers to send all the Patriot defense systems they can spare.

Stoltenberg, meanwhile, has proposed a 100-billion-euro ($108-billion) five-year fund in a bid to ensure long-term support for Ukraine.

He is also pushing to get NATO as an organization more directly involved in coordinating deliveries, something the alliance has so far refused to do out of concern it could drag it closer to war with Russia.

This year, 20 NATO countries are expected to hit the target of spending two percent of their gross domestic product on defense.