The 2024 NATO summit concluded in Washington on Thursday with a resounding call for greater efforts to protect Ukraine. Kyiv is on an “irreversible” path to membership, the bloc formally declared on Wednesday one that will kick off once its war against Russia ends.In the interim, NATO announced a series of steps aimed at bolstering Ukraine’s defenses. The alliance said it would provide at least $43 billion in military aid to Kyiv within the next year, but it stopped short of a multiyear commitment that NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg advocated for. The United States, Denmark, and the Netherlands revealed that they have sent the first batch of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, which should be in the skies later this summer. Poland said it will train a unit of Ukrainians living in Poland to be deployed back to Kyiv. And NATO confirmed plans to establish a new command center in Germany aimed at coordinating arms and training logistics for Ukraine.
“We can and will defend every inch of NATO territory, and we will do it together,” U.S. President Joe Biden said on Wednesday. France, Germany, Italy, and Poland agreed on Thursday to jointly develop long-range cruise missiles to address a gap in European defenses that Russia’s war in Ukraine has exposed. And Washington announced on Wednesday that it plans to start deploying longer-range weapons—including Tomahawk, SM-6, and hypersonic missiles to Germany in 2026.Despite efforts to counter Russia’s military influence, though, NATO reiterated on Wednesday that it “does not seek confrontation, and poses no threat to Russia,” adding that the alliance remains willing to “maintain channels of communication with Moscow to mitigate risk and prevent escalation.
Russia was not the only focus of NATO’s ire this week. South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol argued on Thursday that the Kremlin’s close ties with North Korea are a “stark reminder of the fact that the European security and the Indo-Pacific security are indivisible.” And on Wednesday, the alliance criticized China for being a “decisive enabler” of Moscow’s war efforts, demanding that Beijing cease all shipments of weapons components and other technological parts that are critical for Russia to rebuild its military.China “cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history without this negatively impacting its interests and reputation,” NATO warned in its official summit communique, though it did not specify what the repercussions would be. For Washington’s part, though, National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said the United States would continue to impose sanctions on Chinese entities involved in aiding Russia’s effort.
To end the multiday summit, Biden will hold a rare, high-stakes solo press conference on Thursday, where his ability to engage with reporters and answer questions clearly will be closely watched by his domestic political allies and opponents as well as the United States’ foreign allies and adversaries. It will be his first time facing the press alone since November, and it comes amid growing calls for Biden to end his reelection campaign after a poor debate performance in late June raised serious concerns about his stamina and mental acuity. Nine Democratic House members and one Democratic senator have urged Biden to step aside thus far.