Well, let's take a closer look at what's been happening at the summit. In his
speech to the gathering, U.S. President Joe Biden praised nations as they
committed to spend more on defense and strengthen military capabilities. Mr.
Biden said NATO was capable of defending every inch of its territory. Let's go
straight to my colleague Helena Humphrey, who is at that summit in the American
capital for us. First of all, Helena, just bring us up to date on what exactly
has been discussed today. Regini, today was the first big day of business. Some
high-level meetings with world leaders, NATO partner countries as well, all
coming together. Significant announcement from U.S. Secretary of State Anthony
Blinken saying that those F-16 fighter jets will be provided by NATO allies,
something Ukraine has been calling for for a long time. Ukrainian pilots have
been here in the United States receiving training on them. That's off the back
of that announcement for Patriot missile systems, as well as tactical air
defense systems. On top of that, some key comments to watch from the likes of
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, who is going to be leaving the post
soon on the 1st of October. He said China is the enabler of this war,
specifically referencing reports of China supplying microelectronics to Russia
to be used in the manufacture of weapons. So that Russia continues its war
chest, continues to have weaponries. And then also with regards to Ukraine and
its role in NATO, we know that it wants to be a member. We've heard from the
Finnish president today, Alexander Stubb, saying that its position in NATO and
that extension, that invitation should be one when it comes that is
irreversible. And you were just talking about this being a really big day in
Washington, just talking more about that and that split screen that we've got
with the NATO summit here, and then, of course, what we're seeing on Capitol
Hill. Those comments that we've been hearing from the likes of Nancy Pelosi, the
former Speaker of the House, influential Democrat who says that President Biden
needs to make up his mind soon whether he is staying in the race. I mean, the
counterpoint to that is that President Biden has said he's adamant he is staying
in the race despite those drip, drip, drip of Democrats calling on him to step
out after that debate performance, which some of them say appears to be
concerning. And then just taking it one step further, U.S. actor George Clooney,
a large Democratic donor, also writing an opinion editorial saying, I love Joe
Biden, but we need to have a new nominee. So I think that's also providing the
backdrop to much of the conversation here. Just one point to bring you some
breaking news, and that is that Joe Biden will be sitting down for another
interview, this with Lester Holt, the anchor of NBC News, coming off the back of
that interview that he had with ABC's George Stephanopoulos. I think it's fair
to say this interview opportunity coming up at a time when no performance so far
has managed to quell any of these concerns, at least among some Democrats, about
his fitness for staying in the race. Okay, Helena Humphrey with all the latest
on all those different angles from Washington, thank you for the moment. And, of
course, we will in a moment be discussing more about President Biden and those
growing calls for him to step aside. But let's stay with the NATO summit and
discuss what's been agreed today. And let's speak to Ana Manuel. She's the
executive director of the Aspen Strategy Group, a bipartisan U.S. foreign policy
forum based in D.C. This is the 75th anniversary of the NATO alliance, but it
comes at a time where some people are questioning the usefulness and the future
of that alliance. Where do you see it fitting into the current global map at the
moment? Thanks for having me, Regini. NATO has never been more relevant or more
useful. I mean, it is largely unsung, but the amount of coordination,
cooperation, being on the same page, and how much aid is being provided to
Ukraine really should be celebrated. I also think a really important thing is
happening this week at the summit, which is that they are announcing a new
command in Vpot, in Germany, that's going to coordinate the provision of that
military equipment to Ukraine. That's really important because it future-proofs
the alliance, if you will, and keeps it out of the vagaries of politics. You've
all just had your election in the UK. We have one coming up in the U.S. The
French have just had their election, and just putting that aid to Ukraine on a
firmer footing is important. And as you just reported, Jens Stoltenberg, the
outgoing head of NATO, talking about how increasingly relevant the alliance is
in the Indo-Pacific as well. You talk about Ukraine, and of course, NATO has
aspirations to become part of the alliance. How close, if at all, is Ukraine to
becoming some part of it in, say, the next couple of years?
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