On March 15, amid a heavy day of fighting in Kyiv, President Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine will not become a NATO member. Despite the announcement, shells and missiles from the Russian invasion continued to pound the capital city.
In the latest attack on Kyiv, at least five people were killed by artillery, prompting the mayor to impose a 35-hour curfew starting Tuesday night to protect civilians from the destruction.
“It is clear that Ukraine is not a member of NATO; we understand this,” President Zelenskyy said while addressing leaders from the new Joint Expeditionary Force. “For years we heard about the apparently open door, but have already heard that we will not enter there, and these are truths and must be acknowledged.”
Before Russia started its push into Ukraine, one of Vladimir Putin’s demands was that Ukraine must not join NATO.
In an announcement made Tuesday, President Biden said that he intends to travel to Brussels next week with NATO allies to talk about ramping up support for Ukraine.
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said the summit will take place on March 24 and will bring together European and North American leaders to discuss “further strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense.”
According to a report from the UK Defense Ministry, Russia is currently trying to recruit more mercenaries as they attempt to replace lost personnel.
As written by The Dallas Express, Russia has also reportedly requested support from China, including military aid and equipment, another indicator that the war might not be going as well as the country had planned.
“As a result of these losses, it is likely that Russia is struggling to conduct offensive operations in the face of sustained Ukrainian resistance,” said the UK’s defense ministry in a statement. “Continued personnel losses will also make it difficult for Russia to secure occupied territory.”
NATO is currently drawing up plans for new ways to deter Russia, including more troops and missile defenses in Eastern Europe.
“We need to reset our military posture for this new reality,” said Stoltenberg on Tuesday. “Ministers will start an important discussion on concrete measures to reinforce our security for the longer term in all domains.”