President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced plans to supply new air defenses to Ukraine in a speech opening the NATO summit – providing much-needed support for the country at a critical juncture in its defense against Russia’s invasion.
Biden’s address at the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium in Washington, where NATO was created 75 years ago after world leaders signed a historic treaty, opened the first day of the Western security alliance’s summit.
The US, Germany, and Romania will each provide a Patriot battery of their own, while the Netherlands will work with other countries to enable an additional Patriot battery, each country announced in a joint statement. Meanwhile, Italy would also provide a SAMP-T long-range air defense system.
“Before this war, Putin thought Nato would break. Today, Nato is stronger than it’s ever been in its history. When this senseless war began, Ukraine was a free country. Today it’s still a free country and the war will end with Ukraine remaining a free and independent country.”
“Make no mistake: Russia is failing in this war”
The statement said the air-defense systems “will help to protect Ukrainian cities, civilians, and soldiers, and we are coordinating with the Ukrainian government so that these systems can be utilized rapidly.”
During his speech on Tuesday, Biden vowed that “the United States will make sure that when we export critical air defense interceptors, Ukraine goes to the front of the line.”
“They will get this assistance before anyone else gets it,” Biden added.
“With the eyes of the world on him, President Joe Biden delivered a forceful speech to open the NATO summit in Washington, aiming to reverse doubts about his fitness for the job domestically while boasting that his leadership revitalized the storied alliance and saved Ukraine”.
POLITICO
“The address, which kicked off three days of high-profile meetings in the steamy U.S. capital, served as both a political and geopolitical test for Biden. With every speech, he must prove that age is just a number and that his shambolic debate performance against former President Donald Trump was a one-off bad night. And with every appearance at the NATO Summit this week, Biden must demonstrate he can still rally allies to Ukraine’s cause for the long haul,” POLITICO.
We are committed to providing Ukraine with additional air defense capabilities as it defends itself against Russia’s continued aggression, including Russia’s deliberate attacks on Ukrainian cities and civilian and critical infrastructure.
Ukraine: 10 biggest providers of military aid
1. United States
2. Germany|
3. United Kingdom
4. Denmark
5. European Union
6. The Netherlands
7. Norway
8. Poland
9. Canada
10. Sweden
Today, we are announcing that, collectively, we are providing Ukraine with additional strategic air defense systems, including additional Patriot batteries donated by the United States, Germany, and Romania; Patriot components donated by the Netherlands and other partners to enable the operation of an additional Patriot battery; and an additional SAMP-T system donated by Italy. These five strategic air defense systems will help to protect Ukrainian cities, civilians, and soldiers, and we are coordinating closely with the Ukrainian government so that these systems can be utilized rapidly. We are working on a further announcement this year of additional strategic air defense systems for Ukraine.
In addition, in the coming months, the United States and partners intend to provide Ukraine with dozens of tactical air defense systems, including NASAMS, HAWKs, IRIS T-SLM, IRIS T-SLS, and Gepard systems. These systems will further expand and strengthen Ukraine’s air defense coverage. Several Allies – including Canada, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom – will continue to play an integral role in the provision of these systems, and many other supporters of Ukraine will assist in the provision of interceptors. For its part, the United States will re-sequence planned deliveries of Foreign Military Sales of critical air defense interceptors in coordination with partners so they are delivered to Ukraine, providing Ukraine with hundreds of additional air defense interceptors over the next year.
“As we strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses, we are grateful to the coalition of more than 50 countries that continues to provide security assistance to Ukraine, as well as to the Immediate Action on Air Defense Initiative – to which partners have pledged more than $1 billion in support of air defense for Ukraine – and the Integrated Air and Missile Defense Capability Coalition, co-led by Germany and France. We also welcome NATO’s work to support Ukraine’s efforts to develop a NATO-interoperable integrated air and missile defense architecture. Our message to Moscow and the world is clear: Our support for Ukraine is strong and unwavering”, said a joint statement issued after Biden’s speech. It is signed U.S. President Biden, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
To date, U.S. has provided approximately $51.4 billion in military assistance since Russia launched its premeditated, unprovoked, and brutal full-scale invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, and approximately $54.2 billion in military assistance since Russia’s initial invasion of Ukraine in 2014.
- The US and UK also provided missile systems including Himars, and the M270 MLRS. Ukraine has also received long-range missiles such as Scalp from France, Storm Shadow from the UK and ATACMS from the US.
- Ukraine does not have nuclear weapons. In 1994, Ukraine signed the Budapest Memorandum and gave up its nuclear arsenal, the third-largest in the world at the time, in exchange for security guarantees. On June 2, 1996, Ukraine lost its nuclear status when the last warhead was removed from the country.
- Ukraine’s military is allowed to use longer-range missiles provided by the U.S. to strike targets inside Russia across more than just the front lines near Kharkiv if it is acting in self-defense, the Pentagon said
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