Former NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that had NATO provided greater support to Ukraine—including lethal weapons—after Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea in 2014, Ukrainians would have been better prepared to defend themselves in 2022.

Already six NATO countries have funded four packages of defense support for Ukraine totaling over $2 billion within the framework of the PURL (Prioritized Ukraine Requirements List) initiative, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Ukraine’s future in NATO is by no means a foregone conclusion, one holdout could delay Kyiv’s application indefinitely.

It became clear soon after the meeting that Putin has no intention of resolving this conflict any time soon. In fact, the Russian president, immediately upon his return from Alaska, resumed large-scale drone and missile attacks on Ukraine, including strikes on Kyiv two weeks later. Russian missile messaging spoke louder than diplomatic handshakes.