NATO leaders have committed to providing Ukraine with at least USD 43 billion in military aid over the next year to enhance its defenses against Russia, which the 32-nation alliance views as an increasing threat to Europe, according to Al Jazeera.
Additionally, the NATO leaders have officially placed Kyiv on an “irreversible path” to membership in the Western military alliance. This decision was included in a final communique following a NATO summit in Washington, DC, on Wednesday.
During the summit, alliance members also outlined individual and collective measures to improve the security of Ukraine and Europe, as reported by Al Jazeera.
The United States, Netherlands, and Denmark announced plans to deliver the first NATO-provided F-16 fighter jets to Ukrainian military pilots by this summer. The US also stated it will deploy longer-range missiles in Germany by 2026, describing it as a significant move to counter what the allies perceive as Russia’s growing threat to Europe.
This deployment will mark the introduction of the most powerful US weapons in Europe since the Cold War. These weapons would have been prohibited under the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty signed by the US and the Soviet Union in 1987, which collapsed in 2019.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy expressed his gratitude on X for NATO’s efforts to bolster his country’s air force, stating that the new fighter jets “bring just and lasting peace closer, demonstrating that terror must fail.”
Meanwhile, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg emphasized that Ukraine will not join the alliance immediately but must do so after the war ends to prevent future Russian aggression against Kyiv, as reported by Al Jazeera. Highlighting NATO’s overall assistance, Stoltenberg stated, “We are not doing this because we want to prolong a war. We are doing it because we want to end a war as soon as possible.”
However, the US and several other countries have opposed Ukraine’s membership during the ongoing conflict with Russia to avoid escalating tensions that could lead to a broader war.
They also emphasized that Ukraine must undertake significant reforms to address corruption and other systemic issues, as reported by Al Jazeera.
Furthermore, the NATO communique strengthened its stance on China, describing it as a “decisive enabler” of Russia’s war effort in Ukraine and stressing that Beijing continues to pose systemic challenges to Euro-Atlantic security.
