NATO Chief Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said “Ukraine can win this war,” on Sunday. Adding that the alliance must continue to provide military assistance to the country. Russia stunned the world by invading Ukraine three months ago, but its military was mired in a stalemate and faced the threat of a larger NATO.
Ukraine said it was fighting off Russian offensives in the country’s east on Sunday. As well as Western military officials said Moscow’s effort. Which began after its soldiers failed to grab Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, had slowed to a crawl.
NATO Chief for Ukraine
The Russian army had lost up to one-third of the combat strength it committed to Ukraine in late February. Lest, according to the British Defense Ministry’s daily intelligence assessment on Sunday, and was failing to gain any significant territory.
“Under the current conditions, Russia is unlikely to dramatically accelerate its rate of advance over the next 30 days,” the ministry said on Twitter.
Latest Defence Intelligence update on the situation in Ukraine – 15 May 2022
Find out more about the UK government's response: https://t.co/VBPIqyrgA5
🇺🇦 #StandWithUkraine 🇺🇦 pic.twitter.com/n6dBVZHAos
— Ministry of Defence 🇬🇧 (@DefenceHQ) May 15, 2022
Britain’s Defense Ministry said in its daily intelligence update on Sunday. Also said that “Russian forces are increasingly constrained by degraded enabling capabilities. Continued low morale and reduced combat effectiveness. Many of these capabilities cannot be quickly replaced or reconstituted. And are likely to continue to hinder Russian operations in Ukraine. Under the current conditions. Russia is unlikely to dramatically accelerate its rate of advance over the next 30 days.”
Meanwhile, parliamentarians in Finland and Sweden debated their NATO membership applications today. Since the two neighbors plan to submit applications this week as a deterrence to Russian aggression.
On Sunday, Finland formally proclaimed its ambition to join NATO. While Sweden’s ruling party announced its support for membership, clearing the way for a united application.
The action represents a significant shift from the two countries’ long-standing military non-alignment policies. Which span more than 75 years in Finland and two centuries in Sweden.
Following President Sauli Niinisto. And Prime Minister Sanna Marin’s Sunday membership proposal, parliament in Helsinki began a lengthy session. With almost 150 of the 200 members requesting to speak.
“Our security environment has fundamentally changed,” Marin told parliament.
The inclusion of the two non-aligned Nordic countries would be an affront to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Also, who has seen NATO’s post-Cold War expansion in Eastern Europe as a threat to his country. NATO claims to be a solely defensive organization.
