Blinken urges NATO to invest more resources and provide more aid to Ukraine

U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on Thursday after a meeting with NATO foreign ministers that Ukraine urgently needs more aid amid growing concerns that Russia is building its defense industrial base with support from China, North Korea and Iran.

“Based on what I heard today … everyone, including the United States, is going to redouble our efforts and redouble our efforts if necessary to find the resources that Ukraine continues to need,” Blinken told reporters after meeting with NATO foreign ministers at alliance headquarters. Located in Brussels.

While individual NATO members have been supplying weapons to Ukraine, the organization as a whole has focused on providing non-lethal assistance out of concern that more direct involvement would escalate tensions with Russia.

“More than 30 countries now have signed or are negotiating to sign bilateral agreements with Ukraine, and we ourselves, the United States, are developing our own bilateral agreements,” he said.

Earlier on Thursday, Blinken met with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba in Brussels, where the two discussed the battlefield situation and ways to strengthen Ukraine’s energy sector amid continued Russian attacks.

The United States will host a NATO summit in Washington from July 9 to 11. Blinken discussed priorities for the meeting with Kuleba as NATO celebrates its 75th anniversary.

“Ukraine will become a member of NATO,” Blinken said. “Our aim with this summit is to help build bridges with member states and create a clear path forward for Ukraine.”

During Thursday’s press conference, Blinken also stressed the urgency for a vote in the U.S. Congress on aid to Ukraine.

Congress has yet to approve the Biden administration’s supplemental budget request that would resupply Ukraine’s armed forces and help the country defend itself against a Russian offensive.

President Joe Biden called on the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives to approve the military and financial aid package. House Republicans have delayed action on it for months, prioritizing domestic issues.

The top U.S. diplomat held talks with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday to discuss how to strengthen NATO’s long-term military support for Ukraine.

This week, NATO foreign ministers met in Brussels to discuss a proposal to create a five-year fund totaling about $108 billion to support Ukraine’s military.

Stoltenberg’s plans include getting NATO more directly involved in coordinating military aid provided by member states – a role already held by the U.S.-led alliance of more than 50 countries.

A final decision on the proposal will not be made until a NATO summit in July. It requires consensus among 32 members.

The security bloc’s foreign ministers also met with Indo-Pacific partners on Thursday.

“North Korea, China, Iran support Russia’s aggressive war in different ways, which shows that security is not regional security, but real global security, so it is very important for us to cooperate with our Asia-Pacific partners,” Stoltenberg said on Wednesday.