U.S. President Joe Biden said at the Vilnius summit on July 12 that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin was wrong to expect NATO to break as it stands more united than ever.
"When Putin and his craven lust for land and power unleashed this brutal war in Ukraine, he was betting NATO would break apart... He thought our unity would shatter at first testing. He thought democratic leaders would be weak. But he thought wrong," Biden said.
The president emphasized that Ukraine remains free and independent with the support of a U.S.-led coalition of over 50 countries.
"We will not waver... our commitment to Ukraine will not weaken. We will stand for liberty and freedom today, tomorrow, and as long as it takes," the president reaffirmed the U.S. backing for the besieged country.
NATO leaders and other partners convened in Vilnius, Lithuania for a two-day summit to address the Russo-Ukrainian War and Kyiv's membership bid among other topics.
While Ukraine has not received the much-desired invitation to join NATO, the allies have pledged to scale up their military support. A number of partners, including the U.K., France, Germany, Canada, and Norway have presented fresh military aid.
The Alliance also agreed to drop the Membership Action Plan (MAP) and introduced a three-part package to bring Ukraine closer to NATO.
Members of the Group of Seven (G7) announced a joint framework for bilateral support to ensure Ukraine can defend itself against present and future Russian aggression.
Alexander Query
(Updated: )
