Next NATO summit to focus on strengthening Ukraine's long-term success, says Blinken

This was stated by US Secretary of State Antony Blinken during a press conference with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.

"The summit will focus on strengthening Ukraine's long-term success, which it has been developing since the first day," Blinken emphasized.

According to him, in recent weeks, the United States and other partners have made efforts to strengthen support for Ukraine in repelling Russian aggression, and the Armed Forces have everything they need to strengthen the front line and stop the Russian advance.

Blinken recalled the recently signed bilateral security agreement between Ukraine and the United States, the 17th since President Joe Biden announced the initiative during the G7 summit a year ago.

"By the NATO summit, we expect about twenty countries, and possibly more, to have signed bilateral security agreements with Ukraine. This is clear evidence that all of our partner countries support Ukraine in the long term," said the US Secretary of State.

He added that the United States is stepping up sanction pressure on Russia to force it to stop its aggression.

"If Putin thinks he can survive Ukraine or any of us, he is mistaken. Our assistance is showing practical results, the country can repel Russian aggression. However, in the future, we want to make sure that Ukraine succeeds, that it stands on its own two feet economically, militarily and democratically. The NATO summit will contribute to this effort," Blinken said.

• On June 13, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. President Joe Biden signed a bilateral security agreement for a 10-year period.