Nato summit live: Biden says alliance ‘can and will defend every inch of territory’; F-16s ‘bring peace closer,’ Zelenskiy says | Nato

Joe Biden closes his remarks by saying that the Nato-wide push to strengthen defence manufacturing “sends an unmistakable message to the world:

Every Nato member is committed to doing their part to keep the alliance strong. We can and will defend every inch of Nato territory, and we’ll do it together.

He says Nato leaders will ensure that the alliance will always be ready “for whatever threats we will face”.

Biden thanks every Nato member for their commitment in their shared security.

Nato leaders, at a summit two years ago, launched a plan to modernise their deterrence and defence, Joe Biden says.

Today, we have to ask ourselves, what is next? How can we keep making the shield stronger? One answer must be to strengthen our industrial base.

The US leader says that Russia is on a wartime footing with regard to defence production, and are “significantly ramping up” their productions of weapons, munitions and vehicles “with the help of China, North Korea and Iran”. Biden says:

We cannot allow the alliance to fall behind.

Biden says he is pleased that Nato members are working to expanding their industrial base and capacity, including defence spending commitment, which he describes as “a critical step to maintaining our security”.

He says that Nato will become more “innovative and competitive” as members develop plans for defence production at home, and notes that his administration has invested $30bn in defense manufacturing across 35 US states.

We will not be surpassed. We cannot be surpassed by anyone when it comes to our readiness.

Joe Biden speaks next. The US president begins by quoting one of his predecessors, Harry S Truman, and says that Nato was created 75 years ago in the hope of creating a “shield against aggression and the fear of aggression”.

For the past 75 years, countries have grown and prospered behind the Nato shield, Biden says. “Today, we’re stronger than we’ve ever been.”

Biden says that since he became president, Nato has doubled the number of battle groups in the eastern flank, and both Finland and Sweden have joined the alliance.

The number of allies spending at least 2% on defense has gone from nine to 23, Biden says. “That’s not happened by chance, but by choice.”

Jens Stoltenberg, the Nato secretary general, says that leaders meeting at the summit will “make decisions for our future security”.

Nato countries will also increase support for Ukraine “by establishing a Nato coordination and security assistance and training for Ukraine” as well as “ensuring sustained support for the long term”. Stoltenberg goes on to say:

Support to Ukraine is not charity. It is in our own security interest.

He says Nato will also reinforce partnerships in the Indo Pacific “to push against the growing alignment of Russia, China, Iran and North Korea”.

Keir Starmer, the British prime minister, has said the Nato summit would send a message to Vladimir Putin about the alliance’s resolve to support Kyiv, PA Media reported.

I’ve just had a very good meeting with President (Volodymyr) Zelenskiy, where I made it absolutely clear that as far as the UK is concerned, the change of government makes no difference to the support that we will provide.

We’d been united on this when we were in opposition, and it was really important to me to be able to affirm that face-to face at the meeting.

He also said the summit was a chance “to discuss with president Zelenskiy what further support he needs and to use our opportunity here with our allies to make sure that that support is agreed.”

“And to reinforce, in a sense as a message to Putin, the resolve of Nato, bigger now than it’s ever been, more united than it’s ever been and absolutely clear eyed about the threat of Russian aggression,” he added.

Dan Sabbagh

The first F-16 fighter jets are on their way to Ukraine and will be flying sorties this summer, according to a statement from the Dutch and Danish governments that was released by the White House at the Nato summit.

Dick Schoof, the prime minister of the Netherlands, and Mette Frederiksen, his counterpart from Denmark, said the “transfer process” of F-16s to Kyiv was under way after months of pilot training and political negotiations.

The two leaders said that “Ukraine will be flying operational F-16s this summer” – the first of about 85 of the combat aircraft that have been committed to Kyiv to turn around its fortunes on the battlefield.

An announcement on F-16s had been expected at the same time as the summit, and the hope is that the fighters will be able to stifle Russian glide bomb attacks launched from warplanes operating up to 43 miles (70km) away that have been devastating frontline positions.

Read the story here.

UK’s Labour will not boost military spend without economic growth, says minister

The Labour government will not increase spending on the military unless it is also able to grow the economy, the armed forces minister has said, as Keir Starmer comes under pressure to say when Britain’s defence spending will hit 2.5% of GDP.

Luke Pollard said on Wednesday the government wanted to hit the target promised by the former prime minister Rishi Sunak, but would not be able to do so without economic growth.

His comments come as the prime minister begins a two-day visit to Washington DC for the 75th-anniversary Nato summit, at which he will urge other member countries to increase their defence spending.

Pollard told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme: “The way we deliver increased public spending on defence, on schools, hospitals or prisons, is by growing our economy. If we don’t grow our economy, there won’t be the money to support those public services and the ambitions that we have – and that includes defence.”

Read the full story here.