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As a snap NATO summit got underway, leaders heard a call for more help from Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who addressed the gathering virtually. He stopped short of issuing his usual request for a no-fly zone. But he did say Ukraine needs fighter jets, tanks and better air defenses.
Representatives from the White House and European governments spent the days leading up to the summit in intensive conversations finalizing steps to unveil following the talks.
Leaders including Biden arrived to NATO headquarters Thursday morning intent on demonstrating unity amid Russia’s aggression. They posed for a brief family photo before entering the lengthy closed-door session, where talks focused partly on what to do if Russia deploys a chemical, biological or even nuclear weapon. The mood inside the meeting was “sober, resolute and incredibly united,” one senior US administration official said.
“We gather at a critical time for our security,” NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said as the meeting convened. “We are determined to continue to impose costs on Russia to bring about an end to this brutal war.”
“We are all doing more on land, at sea and in the air,” he went on. “This is necessary to respond to the new security reality in Europe.”
He said leaders would discuss ways to “strengthen our defenses now and for the years to come.”
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Source : cnn
