NATO Border with Russia Nearly Doubles After Putin's Botched Invasion
In the early days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, President Vladimir Putin was pressed several times over the reasoning for his “special military operation”, (a misnomer if there ever was one).
In response, the Kremlin issued several distinct narratives aimed at somehow justifying the conflict. First and foremost, Russia attempted to suggest that they were “de-nazifying” Ukraine, which was largely considered absurd on its face given that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is a Jewish descendant of Holocaust victims.
Then Russia explained to the world that they were attempting to prevent Ukraine from joining NATO, which was also considered to be an egregious falsehood on its face, as Ukraine had repeatedly clarified that this was not their intent.
And in that latter matter, the entire invasion has now backfired immensely.
NATO leaders formally invited Finland and Sweden to become members of the military alliance Wednesday during a summit in Madrid.
“Today we have decided to invite Finland and Sweden to become members of NATO, and agreed to sign Accession Protocols,” the alliance said in a declaration following meetings between world leaders. “The accession of Finland and Sweden will make them safer, NATO stronger, and the Euro-Atlantic area more secure.”
Furthermore, American troops would soon have a more profound presence on the continent.
“In a moment when Putin has shattered peace in Europe and attacked the very, very tenets of rule-based order, the United States and our allies, we’re going to step up. We’re stepping up,” Biden said.
The U.S. is set to establish its first permanent troop presence on NATO’s eastern flank in Poland.
American forces will also maintain a rotational brigade of 3,000 fighters and 2,000 personnel in Romania.
The additional nations will add approximately 800 miles of NATO border to Russia’s northwestern flank, almost doubling the count.
