Zelenskyy and Biden meet at NATO summit: First details
Photo: Presidents of Ukraine and the United States Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Joe Biden (Getty Images)
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with his American counterpart Joe Biden on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington.
At the beginning of the meeting, US President Joe Biden said that over the past few months, the balance on the front in Ukraine had "shifted." Ukrainian defenders managed to stop the Russian forces in the Kharkiv region and inflicted significant losses on the enemy.
"You made it clear Russia will not prevail in Ukraine. Ukraine will prevail," added Biden.
Biden assured that the US would stand "every step of the way" with Ukraine. He also mentioned ongoing efforts for Ukraine to use F-16 fighters this summer.
Additionally, Biden announced a new package of military aid for Ukraine. This is the eighth package since the US Congress approved new funding for military assistance to Ukraine.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, in turn, thanked his American counterpart for the invitation to the NATO summit and the new aid package. He also expressed special gratitude for Biden's statement regarding the Russian strike on the Okhmatdyt children's hospital.
"That is why we greatly appreciate your decision to strengthen our air defense, five new Patriots, and dozens of other systems," said Zelenskyy.
According to the Ukrainian leader, during the talks with the American president, he wants to discuss how to stop Russian terror. In particular, this concerns the problem of Russian guided bombs.
"Of course, we need some quick steps to lift all limitations for our Ukrainian soldiers," he added.
NATO Summit in Washington, DC
The 75th anniversary NATO summit is taking place in Washington, DC, from July 9 to 11. In addition to 32 member states, 35 more partners, including Ukraine, are taking part in the event. As part of the event, American leader Joe Biden announced the strengthening of Ukraine's air defense. Thus, three Patriots will be sent to Ukraine by the United States, Germany, and Romania, and another air defense system will be assembled by the Netherlands and other allies. Italy, in turn, will provide Ukraine with SAMP-T.
In addition, Ukrainians received good news from the summit regarding the F-16. The allies announced that the first promised fighters are on their way to Ukraine and will be defending Ukrainian skies this summer.
The countries also agreed on a declaration stating that Allies intend to provide Ukraine with a minimum core funding of 40 billion euros over the next year and to ensure a sustainable level of security assistance.
As for Ukraine's movement toward NATO, the allies declared that Ukraine's path to membership in the Alliance is "irreversible," according to the summit's final declaration. It is noted that Kyiv will receive an official invitation when it fulfills all the conditions and all member states agree.
At the same time, the Alliance decided to establish a structure for coordinating security assistance and training for Ukraine (NSATU) and supported the establishment of the NATO-Ukraine Joint Analysis, Training and Education Center (JATEC). At the same time, the Allies welcomed NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg's decision to appoint a senior representative of the Alliance in Ukraine.
Read more about the NATO summit and what results it brought for Ukraine in a separate material by RBC-Ukraine.
