NATO marks 75th birthday as allies contend with war in Ukraine

NATO foreign ministers met Thursday in Brussels as the alliance marked its 75th year of collective defense in Europe. The topic was Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, the largest attack on a European country since World War II.

The anniversary comes as NATO members grapple with plans to provide more military support to Kyiv, which is plagued by ammunition shortages. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba appealed to the 32-nation alliance to send air defense weapons to counter Russian ballistic missile attacks.

The gathering also serves as a warm-up for a summit President Biden will host for other NATO leaders in Washington in July.

“It is impossible to comprehend why allies cannot find additional batteries to deliver them to the place where ballistic missiles are being fired at every day,” Mr. Kuleba said.

In March, Russia launched an average of three ballistic missiles into Ukraine every day, Mr. Kuleba said ahead of the meeting.

“There is no other place in the world where this happens,” he said. “Therefore, it makes sense to deliver more Patriot (missile) systems to Ukraine to defend the skies.”