As NATO summit concludes with more U.S. military aid for Ukraine, many focus on Biden's high-stakes speech

July 11 (UPI) -- President Joe Biden will top off this week's NATO summit in Washington, D.C., with a high-stakes news conference Thursday evening, in which he faces pressure to ensure world leaders and fellow Democrats that he has what it takes to keep Russia in check.

Leaders of the 32-member alliance have been in Washington, D.C., since Tuesday to celebrate the 75th anniversary of the organization and to develop strategies to strengthen NATO amid Russia's war with Ukraine and concerning developments among Moscow's allies.

On Thursday, as U.S. President Joe Biden met with Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky at the NATO meeting, the United States announced a $225 million military aid package for Ukraine. The aide is being provided by Biden's presidential drawdown authority and includes a Patriot missile battery, surface-to-air munitions, Stinger anti-aircraft missiles and much more.

During Thursday's events, the United States also announced what it is calling the Ukraine Compact, a commitment of 32 "allies and partners" who are committed to Ukraine's longterm security.

In a release late Thursday, White House officials said, "This compact fulfills the promise President Biden and these countries made in Vilnius in 2023 to negotiate long-term bilateral security agreements with Ukraine to support Ukraine as it defends itself now, and to deter aggression against Ukraine in the future as part of its bridge to NATO membership. Leveraging each of our agreements, this historic compact creates a unified and comprehensive security architecture to support Ukraine today and in the future, in war and in peace."

Also on Thursday, a Chinese official condemned a NATO statement accusing Beijing of enabling Russia's war with Ukraine, saying the declaration was "filled with Cold War mentality and belligerent rhetoric."

"We never provide lethal weapons to either party of the conflict, and exercise strict export control on dual-use goods, including civilian drones," a statement from China's Mission to the European Union read.

NATO members issued a remark in the final communique of the D.C. summit Wednesday accusing Beijing of aiding Moscow through their so-called no-limits partnership and Beijing's "large-scale support for Russia's defense industrial base."

While stopping short of directly accusing the People's Republic of China of shipping weapons to Russia, the statement pointed to the PRC's delivery of dual-use materials -- including components and raw materials used for making weapons -- when it called on the country to "cease all material and political support" for Russia.

"The PRC cannot enable the largest war in Europe in recent history without this negatively impacting its interests and reputation," the statement read.

Biden, meanwhile, spent Thursday morning in working groups with world leaders amid concerns over his age and fitness.

Later in the afternoon, Biden met with Ukraine's Zelensky to announce the signing of a new security systems package to strengthen Ukraine's air defense in the wake of recent Russian guided missile strikes.

The $225 million package is the eighth that Biden has authorized since signing the national security supplemental appropriations act.

Zelensky said the continued support of the United States is critical to preserving Ukrainian independence, referencing a most recent Russian missile attack on a children's hospital in Kyiv.

"We are counting heavily on America's support in this," Zelensky said at the meeting.

Biden replied, "We will stay with you. Period."

The defense of Ukraine, which is on the path to NATO membership, has been a major theme of this week's summit.

Not all NATO allies, however, are supportive of the measure. Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico in a video on Thursday said Ukraine's entrance into NATO would ignite a global conflict.

"I understand Ukraine's wishes, it is a sovereign country, but Ukraine's membership in NATO is just a guarantee of World War III," Fico said.

The prime minister's remarks came just hours after Slovakia's delegation to the Washington summit supported a common stance that Ukraine was on an irreversible path to joining NATO.

Fico said he instructed Slovakian representatives to emphasize that Ukraine can only join the alliance once it meets all membership criteria and all other member countries grant their approval.

Slovakia has been a NATO member since 2004, but Fico, who has served as prime minister since 2006, has taken an approach to the Ukraine war more favorable to Russia.

Fico has pledged to end his country's military aid to Ukraine and has claimed there is "no war" in Kyiv.

As the 75th NATO summit draws to a close, Biden is set to hold his first solo news conference since November on Thursday evening.

The news conference is set to take place at 6:30 p.m. EDT at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in downtown D.C.

Most of the press conferences Biden has participated in have been with other world leaders. The president recently held a press conference with Zelensky in June.

This also will be his first solo press conference since his poor performance in the June 27 presidential debate against Donald Trump, meaning Biden faces more pressure to project strength and competence while more Democratic allies have called for him to withdraw from the race due to his age.

Rep. Hillary Scholten, D-Mich., was among the most recent Democrats to call for Biden to step down. In a post on X, she favorably pointed to the Biden administration's achievements in infrastructure, health care and climate but said, "It is time for him to step aside from the presidential race and allow a new leader to step up."

Scholten also said she would respect Biden's decision to remain in the race and would still vote for him "as a clear and necessary alternative to Donald Trump."

Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt., was the first Democratic senator to call for Biden to drop out of the race. Nine Democrats in the House also have publicly called for Biden's withdrawal.