Biden to focus on deterrence at NATO summit meets Zelensky and Starmer
National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby confirmed that President Biden will not introduce new requirements regarding defense spending at the upcoming summit. He emphasized that one of the summit's main goals will be to strengthen deterrence capabilities against Russia.
9:42 AM EDT, July 9, 2024
- There's been no change in our policy. You saw the president several weeks ago gave guidance to Ukraine that they can use U.S.-supplied weapons to strike targets just over the border. That's still the case, Kirby said during a press conference before Tuesday's NATO summit.
Kirby highlighted that in the last two years, the number of countries meeting the 2% criterion has doubled and currently stands at 23.
Kirby announced that decisions would be made during the summit to strengthen Ukrainian air defense and provide Ukraine with military equipment worth $40 billion over the next year.
Among other issues to be discussed is the matter of allied "deterrence capabilities."
As previously reported by Michael Carpenter, director of the National Security Council for European Affairs, the summit in Wiesbaden, Germany, will announce the creation of a NATO training and assistance coordination command. However, it will not replace the two-year-old Ukraine Defense Contact Group (the so-called Ramstein Group).
Matthew Miller, spokesperson for the State Department, stressed that additional details regarding Ukraine's path to NATO will also be revealed during the summit. - He said we would see specific steps outlined in the final communiqué.
Biden to meet with Starmer and Zelenskyy
During a Monday briefing, Kirby also assured President Biden that he was "sharp" and asked insightful questions, which he did not always have answers to. He added that none of the American allies have expressed concerns about the president's health.
So far, the White House has announced two bilateral meetings for the President during the summit: on Wednesday, Biden will meet with the new UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and on Thursday, with the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
When asked whether, after the Russian attack on the largest children's hospital in Kyiv, President Biden is considering allowing Ukraine to strike targets within Russia using ATACMS missiles and other long-range weaponry, Kirby responded that the current policy - allowing attacks on Russian forces only in the border region - remains unchanged.
