NATO moves toward permanent Ukrainian membership

President Joe Biden met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy Thursday and announced the U.S. would send Ukraine a new $225 million aid package, including a second Patriot missile system.

The package also includes Stinger missiles, artillery rounds and other ammunition.

The air defenses in the package join more aid that was announced on Tuesday by the U.S., Germany, Romania, the Netherlands, Italy and other allied nations. Together the countries will provide additional Patriot batteries and a SAMP-T defense system. Canada, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom and other nations said they would provide a range of additional air defense systems to help Ukraine improve its coverage against aerial assault from Russia.

President Zelenskyy called the developments “strong news” but also called on the U.S. to give permission for Ukraine to use newly provided long-range weapons against ground targets deeper inside Russia.

“If we want to win, if we want to prevail, if we want to save our country and to defend it, we need to lift all the limitations,” Zelenskyy said during the last day of NATO’s Washington summit.

The focus at the summit has been on shoring up global support for Ukraine as it fights Russia’s invasion, and putting the country on an “irreversible” path to NATO membership.

The Ukraine Compact

NATO leaders on Thursday announced the Ukraine Compact, an agreement meant to meet Ukraine’s security needs as it defends itself from Russia now and in the event of future attacks.

Leaders of 22 NATO nations, along with Ukraine’s President Zelenskyy and the presidents of the European Council and European Commission, signed on to the new deal.

The agreement will “support Ukraine’s immediate defense and security needs,” plan and build Ukraine’s military into a deterrent against future attacks, and gives NATO leaders an avenue to quickly convene and support Ukraine if Russia were to attack again in the future.

The NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine program

Also on Thursday, NATO leaders agreed to begin a program meant to speed up support and logistics for Ukraine and pave the way for its eventual accession as part of NATO.

The NATO Security Assistance and Training for Ukraine program will manage training and development of Ukraine’s military at allied locations, planning and coordination of logistics for delivering military aid and the maintenance of Ukraine’s equipment.

The program will also ensure that Ukraine gets the training and capabilities that are criteria for eventual membership in NATO.

NATO will provision a U.S. Army garrison in Germany, where hundreds of staff will work to improve logistics and deliveries for Ukraine.

NATO also plans to send more than $40 billion to Ukraine over the next year, “to provide sustainable levels of security assistance for Ukraine to prevail.”