Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia. (July 18, 2024): NATO leaders declared this week that Ukraine joining the alliance is “irreversible”, drawing an expected angry response from Russia. In this photo by Elizabeth Fraser with Arlington National Cemetery, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg participates in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. Ukraine dominated the agenda at this 75th meeting of the alliance and several steps were announced to help them dislodge the Russian army from their country.
At the meeting, NATO members agreed to boost their industrial production to keep pace with Russia’s manufacturing of military supplies. The U.S., Dutch, and Danish governments announced they would be sending additional F-16 fighters to Ukraine that should be operational by summer. After extensive allied training, the first group of Ukrainian F-16 pilots graduated earlier this year.
NATO members also agreed to set up a new cybersecurity unit to counter emerging threats from hackers targeting member computer networks. Spies and criminals regularly target these networks. As the summit began this week, pro-Russia hackers claimed to have targeted NATO websites.Additional aircraft will be coming from Belgium and Norway, a new package of air defenses for Ukraine, including Patriot batteries. The US and other countries are also providing Ukraine with “dozens” of short-and medium-range systems to help Kyiv intercept Russian drones and missiles.
At the conclusion of the meeting, Secretary General Stoltenberg warned that Russia winning the war in Ukraine would “embolden other authoritarian leaders” in Iran, North Korea, and China.