US State Secretary expects decision on long-term support for Kyiv at NATO summit

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has said that as part of the conversation on making support for Ukraine a long-term commitment, Washington expects that there will be further discussions about what NATO's role in this process could be.

Source: Blinken at a press conference at NATO headquarters in Brussels, as reported by European Pravda

Details: Blinken stressed that in the context of supporting Ukraine, the "most important and the most urgent" thing is getting the supplemental budget passed in the US Congress. But similar discussions are going on with the US’s allies and partners in NATO.

"We’re also looking at the role that NATO can and should play over time in supporting Ukraine. And this is an ongoing discussion that we’ll have in the weeks ahead. And I imagine that you'll see something at the summit when we come together in Washington in July," he added.

The Secretary of State also noted that the NATO-Ukraine Council meeting had discussed ways to meet Kyiv's urgent military needs in terms of air defence, artillery and ammunition.

"So I believe, based on what I heard today, that everyone, including the United States, is going to double back and if necessary double down on finding the resources that Ukraine continues to need," Blinken concluded.

Background:

• NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said that the allies must ensure long-term support for Ukraine amid discussions on a €100 billion fund.
• Later, Stoltenberg clarified that discussions on setting up the new multi-year fund to support Ukraine are ongoing and are being held jointly with Ukraine.

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