Nato turns 75 amid one of biggest crises

– Nato yesterday marked 75 years since its founding, with the Western alliance confronted by the urgent need to do more to help Ukraine win a war currently roiling Europe.

Foreign ministers from Nato’s 32 countries held a ceremony at its Brussels headquarters to fete the organisation that bills itself as the “most powerful and successful alliance in history”.

But, amid the cake-cutting and speeches, Nato was grappling with one of its most serious challenges since it emerged from the ashes of World War II in 1949 to counter the Soviet Union.

“As we celebrate Nato’s achievements, we do not rest upon them,” alliance chief Jens Stoltenberg said. “Europe now faces war on a scale we thought was resigned to history.”

Since Russia launched its allout invasion of Ukraine two years ago, a reinvigorated Nato has added Finland and Sweden to its ranks and bolstered its forces in eastern Europe.

Alliance members also have thrown their weight behind Kyiv, which is bidding to join Nato, by sending Ukraine weapons worth tens of billions of rands.

But those supplies have now dwindled as support from leading Nato power the US remains stuck by political wrangling. On the front line, Ukraine’s outgunned forces have been pushed onto the back foot.

In the face of surging Russian missile attacks on its infrastructure, Kyiv is pleading with its Western backers to send all the Patriot defence systems they can spare.

Stoltenberg, meanwhile, has proposed a €100 billion (about R2 trillion) five-year fund in a bid to ensure long-term support for Ukraine.

He is also pushing to get Nato more directly involved in coordinating deliveries, something it has so far refused to do out of concern it could drag it closer to war with Russia.

Part of the urgency for the plan, officials said, was to try to protect support for Ukraine from the possible return of Donald Trump to the White House after US elections in November.

But there remained many questions over how any financing would work and how far Nato would be willing to go.

Trump has worried allies by criticising backing for Kyiv and he unleashed a political firestorm by saying he would “encourage” Russia to go after Nato allies who do not spend enough on defence.

That comment threatened to undermine Nato’s mutual defence clause that has underpinned European security for three-quarters of a century.

In response, the alliance has scrambled to showcase increased spending from European members. This year, 20 Nato countries were expected to hit the target of spending 2% of GDP on defence – up from three in 2014. –