NATO summit updates: Leaders pledge long-term support for Ukraine

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Read more about how NATO countries are transferring F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine here.

And for more on what’s next for the alliance, watch our video here.

We will soon be closing this live page. Here’s a summary of today’s main events:

• NATO member states issue joint declaration at summit in Washington, DC, outlining commitment to military alliance and long-term support for Ukraine amid Russia’s invasion.
• The communique also pledges to back Ukraine on its “irreversible path to full Euro-Atlantic integration, including NATO membership”.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy thanks Denmark and the Netherlands for moving forward with the transfer of US-made F-16s to Kyiv, as Norway says it would also deliver more of the fighter jets by the end of the year.
• US President Joe Biden has hailed the alliance as he seeks to rehabilitate his image amid growing concerns over his viability as a candidate in November’s US election.

Stoltenberg has kicked off a news conference following a meeting of NATO country leaders, saying the alliance had put in place the most “comprehensive defence plan since the Cold War”.

That includes having more than 500,000 forces “at high readiness in the alliance”, he said, as well as pledging to strengthen and integrate air and missile defence systems and defence industry cooperation.

On Ukraine, he pledged continued support, saying Kyiv’s long-sought membership in the alliance was not a matter of “if but when”.

“We are not doing this because we want to prolong a war,” he said. “We are doing this because we want to end the war as soon as possible.”

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has hailed the military alliance as the “strongest in the world”.

“Today we’re 32 nations strong — united in the fight for our collective freedom, security, and peace,” he wrote on X.

Trudeau has faced pressure to boost his country’s defence spending, including from some US lawmakers who this week called on the Canadian leader to make a greater contribution to NATO.

“Shared values and close economic ties have always been the strength of the US-Canada relationship,” top Republican Senator Mitch McConnell said in a social media post on Tuesday.

“But it’s time for our northern ally to invest seriously in the hard power required to help preserve prosperity and security across @NATO.”

75 years ago, Canada helped found @NATO — the strongest military alliance in the world.

Today we’re 32 nations strong — united in the fight for our collective freedom, security, and peace. pic.twitter.com/B8wplxE4qs

— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) July 10, 2024

NATO countries will formally endorse a revised policy on women, peace and security at this week’s summit, the White House has said.

“The updated policy addresses new security threats, including technology-facilitated gender-based violence and the misuse of new and emerging technologies, climate security, and conflict-related sexual violence,” it said in a factsheet.

The policy also “notes Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine and the threats it poses specifically to women on the frontlines of the conflict”.

It’s 3:40pm (19:40 GMT) in Washington, DC, and here’s a quick update on what’s happening at the NATO summit:

• NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and US President Joe Biden have welcomed the leaders of member states to the meeting, with Biden saying the alliance would “defend every inch” of its territory.
• Ukraine continues to loom large over the talks, with several news agencies reporting that a draft joint communique saying NATO allies will pledge to support an “irreversible path” to integration.
• The US confirms that Denmark and the Netherlands are in the process of transferring F-16 aircraft to Ukraine, while Norway has pledged to provide six of the fighter jets later this year.
• Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has held a flurry of meetings on the sidelines of the summit, including his first face-to-face talks with new UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer.

The former US president says he would not withdraw from the alliance if he wins November’s election.

But in an interview with Fox News Radio, Trump – who earlier this year pressed Republican lawmakers to stall US military assistance for Ukraine before reversing course – said he wanted NATO member states to pay more.

“I just want them to pay their bills. We’re protecting Europe. They take advantage of us very badly,” he said.

Trump also reiterated that Ukraine would not have been attacked by Russia had he been president, citing his bond with Putin.

“You wouldn’t have it. I had a very good relationship with President Putin. We get along very well,” he said.

The far-right Hungarian leader has been a vocal critic of Western military aid to Ukraine, despite Hungary being a member of NATO,.

In a post on X, Orban said he would use the summit to “reaffirm that Hungary will not participate in the NATO-Ukraine mission”, as he criticised the alliance’s “increasingly active role” in the war.

He added that Hungary “will continue to meet our objectives in the development of Hungarian defense capabilities, thus strengthening our Alliance”.

Orban visited Zelenskyy in Ukraine earlier this month, but raised eyebrows by holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow just days later.

In a video that accompanied his social media post, Orban said that NATO “seems to be moving away from its original purpose” of protecting the security of its members and is behaving “more and more like a war organisation”.

At today’s NATO Summit, I will reaffirm that Hungary will not participate in the NATO-Ukraine mission, but we will continue to meet our objectives in the development of Hungarian defense capabilities, thus strengthening our Alliance. pic.twitter.com/whISAhPrgf

— Orbán Viktor (@PM_ViktorOrban) July 10, 2024

The Ukrainian leader has shared a short video clip from his meeting with the newly elected British prime minister.

“Very good to see you in person as prime minister,” Starmer told Zelenskyy in the video, stressing that there will be “no reduction in our support for Ukraine” under his Labour government.

“We are very thankful for your words and steps,” Zelenskyy said. “Thank you that you are with us, from the very beginning of the war.”

I held my first meeting with the new UK Prime Minister @Keir_Starmer.

I thanked Prime Minister Starmer for all the UK’s military and financial assistance provided to our country. This morning, I learned about the permission to use Storm Shadow missiles against military targets… pic.twitter.com/zEHHpLh105

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 10, 2024

The Ukrainian president has been holding a flurry of meetings while in the US capital for the NATO summit, including in-person talks with the top Democrat and the top Republican in the US Senate.

In a post on X, Zelenskyy said he “discussed the current battlefield situation and American defense support” with Chuck Schumer and Mitch McConnell, as well as other US senators from both major political parties.

“I informed them about Russia’s increased missile terror against Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure,” he added.

US aid for Ukraine has become a political football within the Republican Party, with many GOP lawmakers expressing scepticism about sending more taxpayer dollars to the country.

In April, the US legislature passed a $61bn aid package for Ukraine following months of delays.

I had an important meeting with a US Senate delegation led by Democratic Leader @SenSchumer and Republican Leader @LeaderMcConnell, along with senators from both parties.

We discussed the current battlefield situation and American defense support. I informed them about Russia's… pic.twitter.com/vrfqfAfObx

— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) July 10, 2024

We’ve published several pieces of content covering all aspects of the NATO summit. Here are a few highlights:

• Latest news: NATO allies begin transfer of F-16s to Ukraine, Blinken says
• Explainer: NATO leaders gather for 75th anniversary summit – Here’s what to know
• Video: NATO pushes members to raise defence spending to 2% of GDP
• In pictures: NATO – drawing a line between Them and Us

And there’s plenty more here.

John Healey says other NATO members should go beyond the alliance’s target of committing two percent of their respective GDPs to military spending.

Healey’s comments come a day after new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer vowed to fulfill a campaign pledge to increase UK defence spending to 2.5 percent of annual GDP, but stressed he would only do so when the country could afford it and after a review of defence strategy.

“Any assessment of the growing threats that we face and the global instability suggest that all NATO nations are going to need to do more than simply two percent,” Healey told reporters on the sidelines of the summit.

“As European nations, we need to recognise that for America, whatever the result of the presidential election [in November], the priority is increasingly going to shift to the Indo-Pacific, so that the European nations in NATO must do more of the heavy lifting,” the UK defence secretary said.

“The US should rightly look to European nations to pick up some of the financial burden, but also the leadership role responsibilities as well.”

Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova has commented on the transfer of F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, which we reported on earlier.

“This is evidence that Washington is leading a war gang,” Zakharova said, as reported by Russia’s official TASS news agency.

The announcement comes after NATO allies confirmed earlier today that Denmark and the Netherlands were in the process of transferring the US-made fighter jets to Kyiv.

Speaking at the summit, Dutch Minister of Defence Ruben Brekelmans said, “The Ukrainians should not only be able to fly the F-16s; they should also be able to deploy the aircraft.”

“By purchasing this extra F-16 ammunition, we also want to send the message to Moscow that NATO allies will continue to support Ukraine unabated,” he said.