NATO frontline of collective defence, says Biden as Russia suspends START

US President Joe Biden, on the last day of his three-day visit to Ukraine and Poland, emphasised the value of the NATO alliance in resisting Russian President Vladimir Putin. Biden made his comments during a meeting with Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary general of NATO, and the heads of the nine nations that make up NATO's eastern flank. Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia are the nations that make up the so-called Bucharest Nine.

“You’re the front lines of our collective defense and you know, better than anyone, what’s at stake in this conflict, not just for Ukraine but for the freedom of democracies throughout Europe and around the world,” Biden told the leaders.

“Let’s give Ukraine all the weapons it needs to defeat the aggressor. Let’s continue building up our own defenses. Eastern NATO flank must remain our focus. No soft spots should be left,” Nausėda tweeted just hours before the meeting.

The Bucharest Nine members, with the exception of Bulgaria and Hungary, are among the most ardent advocates of expanding military assistance to Ukraine and taking more aggressive action against Russia. Mr. Nausda's comments were not explicitly addressed by Biden, who instead emphasised the need for NATO to stand together against Russian aggression.

“The next steps we can take together to keep our alliance strong and to further deter aggression because literally what is at stake is not just Ukraine. It’s freedom,” Biden said.  

Russia made a big mistake: Joe Biden

Biden said Russia is making a "big mistake" by suspending a crucial nuclear arms deal. The last major nuclear armaments reduction pact between the United States and Russia, New START, is being suspended, according to Putin, who made the announcement on Tuesday. There is a cap of 1,550 long-range nuclear warheads for each side.

The New START pact was ratified in 2010 and will expire in 2021 after a five-year extension. It places a cap on the number of long-range nuclear warheads that both the US and Russia are allowed to possess, including those that can reach the US in under 30 minutes.

The treaty, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry, ensured the two biggest nuclear powers in the world a "necessary level of predictability and transparency" while "strictly maintaining a balance of interests," when it was extended in 2021.