U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken told reporters at NATO headquarters in Brussels, Belgium, that Ukraine will join NATO, stating, “Ukraine will become a member of NATO. Our purpose at the summit is to help build a bridge to that membership, and to create a clear pathway for Ukraine moving forward.”
Blinken and all NATO allies met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba to discuss supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia. Blinken stated:
“I think its safe to say that the support for Ukraine, the determination of every country represented here at NATO remains rock solid. We will do everything that we can, allies will do everything that they can to ensure that Ukraine has what it needs to continue to deal with Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine.”
Kuleba briefed Blinken on Ukraine’s request for air-defense systems, stating on X:
“I was pleased to meet with @SecBlinken in Brussels to express my gratitude to the United States for all of its assistance to Ukraine since the start of Russia’s full-scale aggression. I briefed Secretary Blinken on Russia’s increased air terror against Ukrainian cities and communities, including with the use of ballistic missiles, and urged our American partners to find ways to provide additional “Patriot” air defense systems as soon as possible. I am grateful to the Secretary for taking action right away to reciprocate this call. We also discussed next steps in the coming days and weeks to unlock supplemental US aid for Ukraine. Today’s NATO-Ukraine Council meeting demonstrated that all NATO allies realize how urgent this matter is. We all need it to be resolved as soon as possible.”
Today marks the 75th anniversary of the founding of NATO, with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg announcing the celebration, stating on X:
“Today marks 75 years since the founding of #NATO—the strongest & most successful alliance in history. Foreign Ministers met to address #Ukraine’s urgent & long-term needs; we must step up even more. We also discussed deepening cooperation with our Indo-Pacific partners. 🇦🇺🇯🇵🇳🇿🇰🇷”
