Biden pledges NATO support to Ukraine against Putin's "war of aggression"

Washington DC [US], July 10: US President Joe Biden pledged support of the NATO to defend Ukraine against Russian President Vladimir Putin's "war of aggression."

"Putin wants nothing less -- nothing less than Ukraine's total subjugation; to end Ukraine's democracy; to destroy Ukraine's culture; and to wipe Ukraine off the map," Biden said in his welcome address at the opening of the three-day NATO summit in Washington DC on Tuesday (local time).

"Ukraine can and will stop Putin," Biden, 81, said to applause.

The US president said that the United States, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, and Italy will provide Ukraine with the equipment for five additional strategic air defence systems.

"And in the coming months, the United States and our partners intend to provide Ukraine with dozens of additional tactical air defence systems," Biden said.

The US President said that Ukraine will receive hundreds of additional interceptors over the next year, helping protect Ukrainian cities against Russian missiles and Ukrainian troops facing air attacks on the front lines.

Biden said, "the United States will make sure that when we export critical air defence interceptors, Ukraine goes to the front of the line."

"They will get this assistance before anyone else gets it," Biden added stating that Ukraine continues to be a free country and "the war will end with Ukraine remaining a free and independent country."

"Russia will not prevail. Ukraine will prevail," the US President said to applause.

Biden's speech at the NATO came a day after Russia conducted strikes across Ukraine including a strike on the country's largest children's hospital.

"All the Allies knew that before this war, Putin thought NATO would break," Biden said adding that the 32-member military alliance is "stronger than it's ever been in its history."

Joint Statement on Strengthening Ukraine's Air Defences was signed by US President Joe Biden, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, Romanian President Klaus Iohannis, and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

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 the joint statement. Meanwhile, Italy would also provide a SAMP-T long-range air defence system.

The statement said the five strategic air-defence 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."

"We are working on a further announcement this year of additional strategic air defence systems for Ukraine," it added.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he would fight for "decisive actions" from the United States and Europe to help Ukraine.

"It is not only our country that needs it - everyone needs it, literally every partner, all nations," Zelensky said in his first remarks after arriving in the US.

The Ukrainian president said he would ask for more air defense systems, F-16 fighter jets, and additional security guarantees, "including weapons and finances, political support."

Meanwhile, at the innagural ceremony of the NATO Summit, the US President awarded the NATO Secretary-General Stoltenberg with the highest civilian honour of the United States, the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Leaders of the 32 NATO members and five partner countries - Australia, New Zealand, Ukraine, South Korea and Japan are participating in the summit to commemorate the setting up of the military alliance April 4, 1949.