US President Joe Biden meets with G7 leaders in Brussels for an emergency summit on the sidelines of a NATO meeting on Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The gathering of the world’s major Western powers is likely intended to send a signal to Russia about Western unity and its commitment to defending Europe.
US President Joe Biden (foreground, right) shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron, next to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (back left) and Italian Prime Minister Mario Draghi (second from left in rear) at NATO headquarters in Brussels on March 24, 2022 (JOHN THYS / AFP)
In a statement from the White House, Biden said the United States and its allies are “committed to identifying additional equipment, including air defense systems, to assist Ukraine.”
kyiv has pleaded for air defense batteries to repel Russian missile attacks.
He says that NATO “will continue to support [Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky] and his government with large and growing amounts of security aid to counter Russian aggression and enforce their right to self-defense.
And he says NATO’s deployment of more forces sends a “strong signal” to Russia, noting that by June the defensive alliance will develop plans for additional measures and a new strategy “to meet any challenges in the new, more dangerous security environment”.
