NATO Defense Ministers to meet
The Defense Ministers of NATO countries will meet in Brussels today.
Today’s agenda, under the chairmanship of NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, will merely be a prolongation of yesterday’s meeting of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group. Stoltenberg will once more reiterate the necessity to continue coordinated support for Ukraine in its ongoing war effort against Russia.
In this framework, expect the United States Congress to likely approve a new bill to provide additional funding to the Kyiv government during the short-to-medium term. Additionally, NATO is preparing to further strengthen its defensive fleet by mobilizing an additional 1,000 Patriot air defense missiles worth 5.5 billion dollars, along with 10 billion dollars worth of ammunition—a deal that was agreed upon last month. NATO’s initiative came as a direct response to Moscow’s increasing cooperation with China, Iran, and North Korea. Moscow views Beijing as a crucial economic lifeline amidst the ongoing sanctions from the West all while Beijing reaps the benefits of cheap Russian gas. Given Western backing for Ukraine and Russia being able to stay afloat through its trade with China, the war in Ukraine is likely to remain deadlocked in the short to medium term making peace unlikely in the absence of major concessions.
