NATO Summit on the Ukrainian Conflict Kicks Off in Brussels

On Thursday, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) launched an extraordinary summit to assess how it can provide further support to Ukraine and bolster the eastern flank with four new battalions in Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, and Slovakia.

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Representatives from the United States and its 29 allies are meeting in Brussels to show unity against Russia. They will be joined by the Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelenski through a videoconference.

At the beginning of the meeting, the NATO Secretary Jens Stoltenberg said that Western countries are united in supporting Ukraine's territorial integrity and "determined to continue to impose costs on Russia" until it stops its military operation.

As part of its immediate response to military developments in Ukraine, NATO leaders support the deployment of four new multinational battalions to the eastern flank. They will add to the battalions in Poland and the Baltic states from 2017.

In the longer term, the Alliance is also preparing to review its deterrence and defense capabilities. "This is what is needed to respond to Europe's new security reality," Stoltenberg said.

The U.S. President Joe Biden did not make a statement to the press upon his arrival at NATO headquarters. Before taking a photo with the rest of the allies, he briefly greeted the British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, the French President Emmanuel Macron, and the Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Spanish President Pedro Sanchez called for China to play a "constructive" role in resolving the crisis and for Moscow to withdraw its troops from Ukrainian territory. Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas assured that Russia "cannot win this war" and stated that President Putin has taken certain steps to "scare" Western leaders and dissuade them from giving more support to Ukraine.

"The tougher our sanctions are, the faster this will be over," UK Prime Minister said.