Crimea is a "red line" for Russian President Vladimir Putin, according to NATO Defense Minister Hanno Pevkur.

Pevkur said that losing control of Crimea would be a "huge defeat" for Putin 

and that he would likely respond with military force if Ukraine attempted to retake the peninsula. 

Pevkur's comments come as Ukraine is making progress in its war against Russia. 

The situation in Crimea is very tense, and it is important for NATO to be prepared for any eventuality.  

NATO must continue to provide military support to Ukraine, and it must also be ready to defend its own members if Russia attacks. 

Crimea is a peninsula in Eastern Europe, on the northern coast of the Black Sea 

almost entirely surrounded by the Black Sea and the smaller Sea of Azov. 

The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is an intergovernmental military alliance of 30 member states based in Europe and North America.  

The organization implements the North Atlantic Treaty of 1949, which was signed in Washington, D.C., on 4 April 1949.