The upcoming NATO summit in early July in Washington will focus on strengthening Ukraine's long-term victory, states US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a joint press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
"The summit will focus on bolstering Ukraine's long-term success. From day one, as the battlefield has evolved, so too as our support for Ukraine," said the head of American diplomacy.
He noted that in recent weeks, the US and other partners have made efforts to strengthen support for Ukraine in repelling Russian aggression. According to Blinken, partners need to know that the Armed Forces have everything they need to strengthen the front line and stop the advance of the Russian army.
The head of the State Department also reminded about the recently signed bilateral security agreement between Ukraine and the US. According to him, this agreement became the 17th after President Joe Biden announced this initiative at the G7 summit a year ago.
"And by the time of the summit, we expect that the NATO Summit, we expect that some 20 countries, and maybe more will have concluded their bilateral security agreements with Ukraine. This is proof, clear proof, that all of our countries are with Ukraine for the long haul," Blinken said.
He also added that the US is increasing sanctions pressure on Russia to force it to stop aggression.
"And that if Mr. Putin is counting on outlasting Ukraine, for outlasting any of us, he is misguided. He's wrong. We've now been working these recent weeks to speed all of that assistance to the front lines to make sure that Ukrainians have what they needed in hand to deal with the ongoing Russian aggression. But going forward, we want to make sure that Ukraine is a success that it stands strongly on its own feet, militarily, economically, democratically," added the head of American diplomacy.
NATO will increase support for Ukraine
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, during a meeting with Blinken, emphasized that burden-sharing within NATO is improving. According to the Secretary-General, in 2024, defense spending in Alliance member countries and Canada has increased by 18%, and 23 NATO members will invest at least 2% of GDP in defense this year.
"And at the NATO Summit this July, here in Washington, I expect European allies and Canada to come forward with more financial and military support," Stoltenberg said.
NATO anniversary summit
From July 9 to 11, a jubilee summit of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) will take place in Washington to mark the 75th anniversary of the alliance's founding.
According to recent media reports, the new Secretary General of NATO could be the current Prime Minister of the Netherlands, Mark Rutte. However, for this to happen, he must secure the support of all leaders of the 32 NATO countries.
Meanwhile, the White House has stated that for Ukraine to join NATO, it must win the war against Russia.
During the alliance summit in Washington, no dates for Ukraine's membership will be announced.
