Biden headed to Brussels next week to attend NATO Summit: White House

WASHINGTON

US President Joe Biden will travel to Brussels next week to attend a NATO leaders summit "to discuss ongoing deterrence and defense efforts" in response to Russia's war on Ukraine, the White House said Tuesday.

The extraordinary summit will take place March 24.

White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said at a news conference that Biden will "reaffirm our ironclad commitments to our NATO allies."

The president "will also join a scheduled European Council summit to discuss our shared concerns about Ukraine, including transatlantic efforts to impose economic costs on Russia, provide humanitarian support to those affected by the violence and address other challenges related to the conflict," she said.

Earlier, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg announced that leaders from the alliance will hold an extraordinary summit to discuss the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the group’s response to it.

"We will address Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, our strong support for Ukraine, and further strengthening NATO’s deterrence and defense," Stoltenberg said in a statement.

EU heads of state and governments will also hold a two-day summit starting on the same day.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which began on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia.

At least 636 civilians have been killed and 1,125 injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to the UN. It has warned, however, that the true toll is likely much higher as it has not been able to gain access to areas of increased hostilities.

Some 3 million people have also fled to neighboring countries, said the UN refugee agency.