US President Joe Biden said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) countries will become 32 countries after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan fulfilled his promise to agree to Sweden to join the alliance, stressing that the future of Ukraine will also be in the alliance.
In a speech at the end of the NATO and G7 summits in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius, Biden renewed his commitment to defending Ukraine's security and providing unlimited support to it in the war.
He stressed that the alliance will not retreat or tolerate the defense of Ukraine, stressing the non-abandonment of the Baltic states and the strong ties with them, and said that the Ukrainians did not give up and remained steadfast.
Biden added that the Group of Seven will help Ukraine build a strong military with defense capabilities on land, sea and air, stressing that Ukraine's future is in NATO, but after the war is over, "we will be by its side no matter what."
The US president said the Group of Seven had begun negotiating long-term bilateral security commitments with Ukraine, noting that any other country could join the effort.
Ukraine War
On the war in Ukraine, Biden said, "We look forward to ending this war, which violates the United Nations charters, which Russia violated with its attack on Ukraine."
Regarding the alliance's relationship with Russia, Biden said Russian President Vladimir Putin had expected NATO to "break" but was "mistaken."
He said NATO had responded by focusing on its readiness to defend any of its members, and said it had become clear that Russia did not believe in diplomatic relations.
The president also expressed confidence that the United States can now sell F-16s to Turkey.