Page 9 - While Ukraine News Today

The long-term commitments made at the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, this week might be the most effective way to convince Russian President Vladimir Putin that he cannot win his war in Ukraine, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Friday.

Georgia, like Ukraine, used to be at the top of the list of NATO hopefuls. But, in the context of the NATO conference in Vilnius, the country is barely getting any attention. What changed?

The crisis in Ukraine has consumed most of NATO’s attention (and well over $100 billion in taxpayer money) over the past 16 months. As members gather for the bloc’s 36th summit, the issue of Ukraine’s relationship vis-à-vis the alliance is at center stage. Sputnik outlines the issues on the table, and the decisions which may be reached.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s arrival in Vilnius — and plans to speak out against NATO’s membership language — is set to be the summit's biggest drama yet.

The week's best pictures from across Europe

Read more about 'Necessary' steps for Ukraine to join NATO will be discussed at summit - White House on Devdiscourse

While Ukraine typically doesn’t comment on explosive incidents that occur on Russian territory, Ukrainian military intelligence spokesperson Andriy Yusov has commented on the recent alleged drone attack in Russia’s Moscow Oblast in the early hours of July 4.

In chaos there is opportunity, both for besieged Ukraine as well as for old-style warlords who would take advantage in an uncertain world.

Pushing entrenched Russian troops out of their territory will be more of a long-distance marathon than a sprint for Ukraine's attacking forces, Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin said Thursday, as NATO and allied defense ministers meeting in Brussels cleared the way for Ukrainian pilots to begin training to fly coveted U.S. F16 fighters jets.

The fate of Ukraine, and the rules-based international order, are in flux.