> I believe it is a prerequisite for joining NATO It is, and that's at least part of the reason why when Ukraine asked to join NATO, they were rejected. But NA

> I believe it is a prerequisite for joining NATO It is, and that's at least part of the reason why when Ukraine asked to join NATO, they were rejected. But NATO won't rule it out entirely, and Putin took that as a reason (a necessity, he claims) to invade Ukraine. > Western countries took advantage of the end of the Cold War and the "peace dividend" to hollow-out their armed forces and ammunition reserves. Even with those cuts, though, NATO has a far, far larger army than Russia. And far better. Though ammo shortages are definitely a big problem.