On the First Day of NATO Summit in Washington: Leaders of the U.S. and Four Countries Emphasize the Need to Strengthen Ukraine's Air Defense Capabilities

On the first day of the NATO summit in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday, July 9, leaders from the United States and four other countries issued a joint statement emphasizing the necessity of enhancing Ukraine's air defense capabilities against Russian aggression. The statement, signed by the U.S. President, the Prime Minister of the Netherlands, the Chancellor of Germany, the Prime Minister of Italy, the President of Romania, and the President of Ukraine, announced their collective agreement to send five additional air defense systems and necessary components to Ukraine. Among the assistance mentioned are an additional Patriot missile launcher donated by the United States, Germany, and Romania, Patriot air defense system components from the Netherlands and other partners to activate an additional Patriot launcher, and another SAMP-T system donated by Italy. According to the statement, the U.S. and its partners also plan to provide dozens of other tactical air defense systems to Ukraine in the coming months, aiming to expand and strengthen Ukraine's air defense coverage against Russian air attacks. The leaders of the five allied countries stated that several other allies, including Canada, Norway, Spain, and the United Kingdom, will continue to play their essential roles in delivering this equipment to Ukraine, and many other supporters of Ukraine will also assist in providing interceptors. Simultaneously, the United States is coordinating with its partners to deliver previously planned foreign military sales of critical air interception equipment to Ukraine, and will also deliver hundreds of additional air defense interceptors to Ukraine next year. The leaders of the four NATO countries emphasized their support for NATO's efforts to assist Kyiv in developing integrated air and missile defense capabilities with NATO, and their message to Russia and the world is clear: 'Our support for Ukraine is strong and unwavering.'