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US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that Russia will not be able to defeat Kyiv and that it is paying a very heavy price for its invasion of Ukraine.
Biden has praised the courage of Ukrainians since Moscow invaded its western neighbor in February.
Biden said at the end of the NATO summit, in Madrid, that the alliance has become stronger since Russia invaded Ukraine, and will become even stronger by accepting Finland and Sweden as a member.
Biden also said that $800 million will be provided to Ukraine in the form of military aid, in the coming days.
NATO leaders agreed to a significant increase in the number of rapid response forces.
Biden said the United States and its NATO allies are united in the face of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
“I do not know how the war will end, but it will not end with Russia’s defeat of Ukraine. Ukraine has already dealt a severe blow to Russia,” he added at a press conference.
“We will support Ukraine as long as it takes,” said Biden, who appeared to be preparing with his allies for a long conflict in Ukraine despite speaking in March of a possible victory. He declined to give further details.
The new aid plans came as NATO repositioned itself in a Cold War flashback with a massive troop buildup, as the Ukrainians used howitzers to retake the strategically positioned Serpent Island.
Biden had earlier pledged more US troops, warplanes and warships to Europe, as NATO agreed to bolster deterrence, and put more than 300,000 troops on high alert from the middle of next year.
“The United States is doing exactly what I said we would do if Russia invaded Ukraine,” Biden said. “We’ve beefed up our forces in Europe. The United States is mobilizing the world to stand with Ukraine.”
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said London would provide Ukraine with military aid – once more – worth £1 billion, while France’s President said his country would send six CAESAR mobile artillery systems.
Britain’s contribution includes new air defense systems and electronic warfare equipment, which has secured more than £2.3 billion in support since the invasion of Moscow, an amount the British government said was second only to US aid.
Johnson said Putin did not appear ready to withdraw or negotiate the terms of a peace deal.
As Johnson said: “There doesn’t seem to be anything to talk regarding. Because it’s not just that the Ukrainian people will find it very difficult to make a deal, and even Putin is not offering a deal.”
NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said that in the biggest shift in European security in decades, Finland and Sweden will sign the formal accession protocol next Tuesday to join NATO, although ratification by their 30 parliaments might take a year.
But Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said in a press conference at the end of the summit that the Nordic countries must first fulfill their promises so that Turkey does not veto its accession to NATO.
