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13 July 2024

At NATO summit, Gaza is the elephant in the room

Ishaan Tharoor

In Washington’s giant downtown convention center, one issue will loom above them all: Ukraine. The country’s plight as it resists Russian invasion is the central focus of NATO leaders gathering in the U.S. capital this week. While Kyiv is not expected to come away with the direct invitation into the alliance it much desires, U.S. officials and their partners are mustering a package of other political and security commitments to help Ukraine turn the tide of the war.

The urgency of the moment was underscored after yet more Russian missile strikes hit civilian areas in Ukraine on Monday, killing dozens and, in one instance, destroying a children’s hospital in Kyiv. Ukrainian officials have been pleading for months for their Western allies to transfer more air defense platforms and munitions to thwart the Russian barrages, and stepped up their entreaties in Washington.

“We’re looking for some serious and strong decisions from the Washington summit about concrete systems of air defense because it’s one of the most critical moments,” Andriy Yermak, chief of staff of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky, told reporters in Washington ahead of the summit.

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