Ukraine’s foreign minister recently issued a warning to NATO countries, saying that some of their cities that are near a Russian border could soon look like some of the war-torn cities in eastern Ukraine.
In recent remarks made to ELTA, a news agency in Lithuania, Dmytro Kuleba said that if Russian President Vladimir Putin were to invade a Baltic country that are members of NATO, “you will bravely defend your peoples against an enemy who surpasses you both in terms of experience and capabilities.”
He added:
“In the end, I think NATO will win. But, look at Bakhmut, look at Avdiivka — this is what the Baltic countries will look like after intense combat operations.”
Bakhmut and Avdiivka are two cities in eastern Ukraine that Russia now controls. Bakhmut was captured first, in May of 2023, while Ukrainian military forces just withdrew out of Avdiivka in the middle of February.
Both of those cities have been completely devastated by intense fighting that’s been going on there ever since Russia invaded its neighbor in February 2022.
In referring to the capital of Lithuania during his remarks, Kuleba said:
“This is what your cities will look like. There will be no more beautiful Vilnius.”
There are multiple NATO nations that sit right on the Baltic Sea, including Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. Lithuania also shares a direct border with Kalinnigrad, a Russian exclave.
Sweden — which just became the latest member of NATO when Turkey backed off its opposition of its application — also is located on the Baltic Sea.
Ukraine has received billions and billions of dollars in military aid from multiple NATO nations to help it defend itself against Russia. But, all NATO nations have said that they aren’t willing to directly wage a war against Russia.
Since Ukraine isn’t a member of NATO, members of the alliance aren’t required to join them in the war. Article 5 of NATO’s treaty states that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all of them.
This is why many people are afraid of what would happen should Russia expand its war and invade a NATO member.
But, multiple NATO nations possess nuclear weapons, which could act as a deterrent for Russia if they decide to invade other countries. They certainly are aware of NATO’s bylaws and would know exactly what would come to them should they decide to invade.
While NATO members have remained out of the war thus far, Emmanuel Macron, the president of France, said late last month that it wasn’t possible for him to rule out eventually sending troops in to fight alongside Ukraine — and he certainly wouldn’t have a choice should Russia invade one of the alliance’s member states.
Earlier this week, Radoslaw Sikorski, the foreign minister of Poland, made similar statements when he said it “is not unthinkable” to put NATO troops on the ground to help Ukraine.
Poland shares its eastern border with Ukraine’s west.
