On 26 November, NATO ambassadors and Ukrainian representatives met in Brussels to discuss last week’s Russian experimental intermediate-range ballistic missile strike on Dnipro, AFP reports. The meeting, established through the NATO-Ukraine Council formed in 2023, aims to address the current security situation in Ukraine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin justified the missile attack as an alleged response to Ukraine’s use of US and UK-supplied weapons, specifically mentioning ATACMS missiles fired into Russian territory. Putin claimed that Moscow feels “entitled” to target military facilities in countries supporting Ukraine with weapons.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy characterized the strike as “the latest bout of Russian madness” and called for updated air-defense systems to counter the emerging threat. Kyiv hopes to achieve “concrete and meaningful outcomes” from the diplomatic meeting.
A NATO official stated the session “provides an opportunity to discuss the current security situation” and will include video-link briefings from Ukrainian officials. However, diplomats have tempered expectations for significant breakthroughs.
Senior NATO commander Rob Bauer emphasized the strategic importance, stating,
“I cannot imagine that it is in the interest of the United States to allow Putin to come out of those possible negotiations as a winner.”
Russia’s use of its missile that Putin referred to as “Oreshnik” was the first combat use in history of the nuclear-capable missile, carrying the Multiple Independently-targetable Reentry Vehicles (MIRV), although the weapon didn’t carry nuclear warheads.
Related:
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- Forbes: Western jets at risk without improved Ukrainian air defenses
- Putin orders Russian troops to retake Kursk Oblast before Trump’s inauguration, says Zelenskyy
- Patriot systems not designed for interception of Russian intermediate-range missiles, but Ukraine may try, expert says
- France condemns Russian strike on Dnipro with intermediate-range ballistic missile
- CNN: Russia breaks Cold War deterrence doctrine with multiple warhead missile strike on Dnipro
- Ukraine eyes THAAD, Patriot enhancements against new Russian threats
- ISW: Recent Russian missile strike shows no new nuclear threat
- Moscow’s first ICBM attack: Russia hits Dnipro with intercontinental ballistic missile injuring two
