He addressed a news conference in anticipation of the NATO leaders' summit in the Lithuanian capital Vilnius on July 11-12, and emphasized the 31-member group is preparing to "send a clear message, NATO stands united and Russia's aggression will not pay off."

He previewed that leaders gathered at the summit are ready "reaffirm that Ukraine will become a member of NATO and unite on how to bring Ukraine closer to its goal."

Further, concerning 'security guarantees' that Kiev has been expecting, he touted there will be a series of measures to make "Ukraine even stronger", including a multi-year assistance program "to ensure full interoperability" between the Ukrainian army and NATO.

Toward this end, a NATO-Ukraine Council will also be established, complete with an inauguration ceremony for which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will be in attendance to oversee.

It must be recalled that President Putin has repeatedly stressed that a key rationale for his decision to send the Russian Army into Ukraine for its 'special operation' was the expansion of NATO military infrastructure up to Russia's doorstep.