Washington, 10 July 2024 (dpa/MIA) - US President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced the delivery of more air defence systems to Ukraine at a ceremony in Washington to mark the 75th anniversary of the NATO defence alliance.

"I'm announcing the historic donation of air defence equipment for Ukraine," Biden said in a speech to gathered leaders and officials. An accompanying statement by Biden and several other leaders of NATO countries spoke of "dozens of tactical air defence systems" to be delivered "in the coming months."

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who is attending the summit, has repeatedly called for international allies to supply more defence systems such as US-made Patriots to protect Ukrainian cities and infrastructure from Russian attacks.

He thanked NATO after Biden's announcement, writing on X that he was "grateful to our partners ... for adopting a strong declaration in support of Ukraine’s air defence system to protect its people, cities, and critical infrastructure."

Such defence systems would help ward off the kind of "brutal attack" that left several people dead in and around a paediatric hospital in Kiev on Monday, Zelensky said.

Patriot systems previously announced

The joint statement by Biden and other leaders, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, said that the new systems would include modern Patriot batteries, which can shoot down enemy aeroplanes and missiles many dozens of kilometres away.

The statement referred to "additional Patriot batteries donated by the United States, Germany, and Romania."

The US system will be the second to be sent to Ukraine by Washington.

German government sources said however that the announcement from the summit concerned a Patriot system which was delivered last week, rather than a new one.

The Romanian Patriot delivery had also been previously announced.

Biden welcomes extra defence spending

In his speech, Biden praised NATO allies' "remarkable progress" towards meeting NATO's defence spending target and awarded outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the United States' highest civilian honour.

"In the year 2020, the year I was elected president, only nine NATO allies were spending 2%" of their GDP on defence, he said at a ceremony in Washington to mark NATO's 75th anniversary. "This year, 23 will spend at least 2%," Biden said.

"Some will spend more than that. And the remaining countries that have not yet reached that milestone will get there soon," he added.

Highest US award for Stoltenberg

Awarding Stoltenberg the medal, Biden told the secretary general, "you've guided this alliance through one of the most consequential periods in its history."

"Today, NATO is stronger, smarter, and more energized than when you began," Biden told Stoltenberg. "And a billion people across Europe and North America - indeed, the whole world - will reap the rewards of your labour for years to come in the form of security, opportunity, and greater freedom."

Stoltenberg has led the alliance since 2014, and will be succeeded in the role in October by former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte.

Three-day summit to tackle Ukraine funding

The ceremony on Tuesday opened a three-day summit that will continue on Wednesday and Thursday.

Leaders will discuss Stoltenberg's proposed plan to provide Ukraine with military aid worth €40 billion ($43 billion) in 2025, he said at a press conference last week.

The €40-billion pledge has been watered down from the multi-year financial commitment for Ukraine that Stoltenberg initially wanted allies to adopt. The alliance will review the military aid again next year.

For his part, Zelensky hopes that the meeting of national leaders from the 32 NATO countries - also including the United Kingdom's new prime minister, Keir Starmer - will clarify Ukraine's prospects for membership and strengthen military support for Kiev.

Since 2019, Ukraine has had its NATO membership ambitions enshrined in its national constitution. But all current NATO countries must agree unanimously before that can happen.

The United States and Germany are the main opponents of Ukraine joining NATO too soon, diplomatic sources within the alliance said on Monday.

A source referred to the US and Germany's "strong opposition" towards inviting Ukraine to join the alliance without fulfilling the necessary preconditions.

"In the end, it will be a decision by the allies to invite Ukraine to join NATO," the source said.

In an interview with dpa ahead of the summit, Stoltenberg said he hopes Ukraine can join NATO within the next 10 years, aligning himself with allies who are counting on prompt progress to admit Ukraine, which was actually agreed in principle in 2008.

New procedure for Ukraine military aid

Another part of the secretary general's plan to make long-term NATO commitments to Ukraine is a new support project for Ukraine called NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine (NSATU), approved by NATO defence ministers in June.

The project, based in the German city of Wiesbaden, is to be staffed by 700 officials. Previously, NATO countries have been coordinating support to Ukraine through an informal, US-led group called the Ukraine Defence Contact Group.

Allies are also expected to commit to working more closely together to expand production in their defence industries as well as develop more joint procurement projects together.

Photo: EPA