Ukraine is valiantly working to repulse an enemy armed with everything from grenades to thermonuclear weapons.
Understandably, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy went to the NATO Summit in Vilnius to plea for increased support.
More has been promised, but he returned to Kiev without the strategic prize he sought — a clear path to fast-tracked NATO membership.
Few questioned the outward frustration he expressed.
As the stages and tents are disassembled in Vilnius, one of the most important summits in NATO’s history, left few with hope that the leaders of the west had made any progress in advancing peace and security in the world.
What was missing?
Was it perhaps America’s absence from the dinner?
President Biden opted not to join other NATO leaders at the dinner table on this trip.
This is significant as important sidebars with alliance counterparts, diplomacy conversations, "off ramps," peace plans with Russia, all a huge, missed opportunity for American leadership.
In sharp contrast, "whatever it takes" talking point rang frequently and loudly through the Vilnius conference halls, but not "de-escalation" or "resolution."
We must hope that the first NATO-Ukraine Council focused on a strategy that charts a path to victory or an off-ramp for either side at a negotiation table.
Hope is never a strategy.
Summit outcome?
Handwringing with no clear path to the Ukraine-Russian war’s end
But, hey . . . "Go Sweden!"
And while NATO works arduously to shore up the status quo, the geopolitical tectonic plates continue on their collision course, potentially igniting the war to end all wars.
In Europe and here at home, the flow of millions of unvetted illegal immigrants are wiping out sovereignty as we knew the concept. Just ask France how that’s working.
China continues to infiltrate western institutions while they lead the BRICS+ charge to dethrone the dollar.
North Korea reminds us weekly that they have ICBM capability and the will to use them.
Let’s head from Asia to the Mideast.
Iran, reveling in recent Chinese brokered diplomatic victories where Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar are moving from the "foe" to "friend" column, is moving quickly to isolate and threaten Israel through proxies while soon achieving its goal of producing nuclear weapons.
Israel, very concerned about its alliance with the U.S. is all but isolated in a region where there are almost no friends.
Iran-backed proxies; Hezbollah, Hamas, and Islamic Jihad are all engaged at some level with Israel.
However, behind the rocket attacks and acts of terror, a greater war may be brewing that could potentially pull in the rest of the world’s great powers.
Hassan Nasrallah and Hezbollah, based in Lebanon are once again threatening war with Israel. The Israel Defense Force (IDF) has good reason to be confident that such a war will have a similar outcome to the last time it put down Hezbollah in 2006.
However, the IDF’s wise generals understand there is a larger enemy in play here and that Hezbollah operations are merely extensions of Iran’s strategy to continually harass and overwhelm Israel.
Iran’s boldness surges with their Navy’s renewed "pirate" tactics of terror seeking to hijack oil tankers and test the U.S. Navy.
Our crew aboard the USS McFaul put down the Iranian Navy’s attempts, but not before Iranian bullets riddled the hull of one of the tankers.
Our Navy protects sea lanes from Iranian aggression while the Biden administration clings to hope that some last-minute nuclear agreement with the ayatollah can be reached.
The short version: Iran gets another plane load of American greenbacks which they will use to target Israel and keep their nuclear program alive.
Seems like the Biden administration is nostalgic for the Obama days and the ridiculous JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action ), or Iran Nuclear Deal of July 14, 2015.
Biden’s diplomatic corps has blinked. China has changed the chessboard.
Iran is aligned with Russia as a new best friend forever, resulting in a no-fear attitude toward the other Arab states. A willing Syria and Lebanon serve as platforms to wage war with Israel by proxy or directly.
As Iran gets closer to possessing nuclear weapons, it understands well that Israel will be motivated to blunt that goal by engaging militarily. It’s very plausible that Iran’s calculation is to have Israel tied up in a war on its borders as the nuclear Rubicon is crossed.
I am sure Tehran was pleased with Biden’s accidental reveal on camera that the U.S. is low on munitions.
Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping should be delighted that Iran is creating so much trouble.
It takes the pressure off.
By spreading the U.S. and its allies thin, Russia and China’s objectives in Ukraine and Taiwan become more achievable.
The New World Order BRICS+ plan becomes more realistic.
Those watching these developments who closely follow biblical prophecy are eyes wide open, rereading Ezekiel 38!
Is our world on the brink?
The brink of diplomacy and peace — or the brink of another great war?
This writer encourages American leadership to redouble diplomatic efforts building strength to deter catastrophe. There is no time like the present to lead. But leadership also means clearly stating what we will tolerate and absolutely not stand for — at any time.
(A related article may be found here.)
Brig. Gen. Blaine Holt (retired) is a co-founder of Restore Liberty, a former deputy representative to NATO, a lifetime member on the Council on Foreign Relations, and a Newsmax contributor. The views presented are those of the author and do not represent the views of the U.S. Government, Department of Defense, or its components. Read Gen. Holt's reports — More Here.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.