Biden announces sending air defense systems to Ukraine

US President Joe Biden announced the sending of air defense systems to Ukraine on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Washington this Tuesday.

“The war will end and Ukraine will remain a free and independent country. “Russia will not win,” 81-year-old Biden said in a speech with which he tried to dispel the doubts of the Democratic Party about his candidacy for re-election in the November elections after a disastrous debate against his Republican rival Donald Trump.

“This is an important moment for Europe, for the transatlantic community and, I must say, for the world,” he said.

He attended a ceremony marking the 75th anniversary of the creation of the Atlantic Alliance alongside the leaders or their representatives from 32 NATO countries.

In a joint statement, several NATO countries, including the United States, confirmed the shipment of a total of five of these systems, including four Patriot batteries and surface-to-air missiles, which are particularly effective in intercepting Russian ballistic projectiles.

The fifth air defense system announced on Tuesday is a Franco-Italian-built Samp-T missile battery, which Italy had already promised.

What is new is the Patriot batteries that will be supplied by the United States. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has been demanding this for months.

Zelensky, who arrived in Washington on Tuesday, thanked colleagues for their “strong statement” of support.

In a speech delivered in the afternoon, he also asked them, and especially the United States, not to wait for the result of the November presidential elections to reaffirm their support for their country in the war.

“It is time to come out of the shadows, make strong decisions, work, act and not wait for November or any other month,” he said.

– detonate the bombs –

Ukraine was the target of Russian attacks on Monday, Zelensky announced, which killed 43 people and injured nearly 200, in addition to destroying the country’s largest children’s hospital.

As the conflict escalates, the allies have also committed to deliver other Patriot or equivalent systems “this year” and dozens of tactical air defense systems “in the coming months.”

“Today is Washington,” Zelenskyy said earlier in his video speech.

“We are struggling to obtain more anti-aircraft defense” and “more F-16 aircraft,” which are expected to be delivered to Ukraine soon, he said.

Washington will also reschedule planned deliveries of missile batteries so that Kiev can have “hundreds of additional surface-to-air interceptors over the next year,” according to a joint statement by the United States, the Netherlands, Romania, Germany, Italy and Ukraine.

– Moment of relief –

Dozens of people have been killed in Russian attacks and half of Ukraine’s energy capacity has already been destroyed.

As host of the anniversary ceremony in the auditorium where the North Atlantic Treaty was signed in 1949, Biden was able to enjoy a moment of respite in an election campaign that is turning into a tough test for him.

Even within his Democratic camp, there are growing demands that the president allow another candidate to challenge him in the election after Trump’s poor performance in the debate, in which he looked confused and even wandered around.

The 78-year-old Republican millionaire commented on this anniversary celebration on his social network Truth Social. He assured that without him “NATO would probably no longer exist.”

He says this is because the Europeans are committed to spending more on their defense, which, according to him, is due to the pressure he exerted during his mandate.

In his speech, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg reminded that the alliance is not a “duty” but “the result of deliberate choices and difficult decisions.”

The same applies to support for Ukraine, he recalled, which requires “costs and risks.”

– “Defend Freedom” –

“For Russia, winning in Ukraine would come at the greatest cost and the greatest risk,” he said.

“The outcome of this war will determine global security for decades to come,” Stoltenberg said. “Now is the time to defend freedom and democracy. The place is Ukraine.”

On the occasion of this summit, Kiev would like to advance its application to join the Atlantic Alliance, but it has no illusions.

Ukraine wants to receive a formal invitation, but many countries including America are opposing it.

What this can achieve, according to a diplomat who requested anonymity, is that the promise of accession is “irrevocable”, but under conditions.

Russia, for its part, said it would follow the summit with “maximum attention.”

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