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NATO Leaders Support Ukraine’s Long-Range Strikes Inside Russia, Stubb Says
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NATO leaders support Ukraine's intensified drone strikes deep inside Russia as a means of forcing Moscow back to negotiations, and Kyiv now holds its strongest position since the invasion began, according to Finland's president, Alexander Stubb, the Financial Times reported on July 6.
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Speaking ahead of the NATO leaders’ summit in Ankara, Stubb said Ukraine’s long-range campaign had reshaped US strategic thinking and strengthened Kyiv’s hand ahead of any future talks. He argued that allies were aligned on the logic behind the strikes.
“We are in a fairly good place when it comes to Ukraine because everyone, including our American friends, sees that Ukraine is right now on top of the battlefield,” Stubb told the outlet.
Stubb described a broad understanding among alliance members. “I think that [all NATO leaders] understand why Ukraine is doing this,” he said, adding that “everyone believes that we need to continue to increase the pressure.”
On membership, Stubb said integrating Ukraine’s defense sector with allied industries was the fastest route toward a membership-like status for Kyiv.
“If I had a choice, we would make Ukraine into a NATO member immediately. But I’m realistic that that’s not on the political cards,” he concluded. He added that “NATO needs Ukraine as much as Ukraine needs NATO.”
The Finnish leader rated Ukraine’s drone and missile capabilities above those of most alliance members and pointed to Kyiv’s battlefield experience as an asset for the West. “In terms of modern warfare capabilities, Ukraine is number one,” he told the outlet.
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NATO's open endorsement of Ukraine's cross-border campaign has hardened over recent weeks.
On June 17, Secretary General Mark Rutte defended Kyiv's right to strike military targets inside Russia as an act of self-defense, speaking in Brussels ahead of the Ukraine Defense Contact Group.
He rejected the idea that Ukraine should ease pressure on Moscow to facilitate peace talks, framing it as a view shared across the alliance.
Ukraine's long-range strikes now reach targets between 1,700 and 2,000 kilometers inside Russia, hitting military production sites, air bases, and energy infrastructure far from the border.
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