WASHINGTON, United States (AFP) — US President Joe Biden on Tuesday announced a major package of air defenses for Ukraine at the start of a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit in Washington.

Looking to refocus attention on US steadfastness, Biden kicked off the summit by announcing Washington will provide Ukraine with an additional Patriot air defense system.

“The war will end with Ukraine remaining a free and independent country. Russia will not prevail,” Biden said at a ceremony in the room where NATO’s founding treaty was signed in 1949.

“This is a pivotal moment for Europe, for the transatlantic community, and, I might add, for the world,” he said.

The US pledge comes on top of two new Patriot systems already being given by Germany and Romania, and one the Netherlands has said it is putting together with parts from other allies.

The air defenses “will help to protect Ukrainian cities, civilians, and soldiers,” Biden said in a joint statement with other leaders, adding that they would look to send dozens more shorter range systems in the coming months.

Ukraine has for months been clamoring for seven additional Patriot systems to help protect against devastating Russian strikes two and a half years into the invasion.

The war-torn country’s vulnerability to Moscow’s missiles was cruelly exposed by a strike Monday on a children’s hospital in Kyiv.

Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky said 43 people were killed across his country in a barrage of strikes that day.

NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg urged countries across the alliance to maintain their backing for Kyiv — warning that if Russia wins it will be the “greatest risk” for NATO.

“The outcome of this war will shape global security for decades to come,” Stoltenberg said.

“The time to stand for freedom and democracy is now. The place is Ukraine.”

Leaders from the 32-nation military alliance were looking to put on a show of resolve against Russia during three days of pomp-filled ceremony in the US capital marking NATO’s 75th anniversary. But questions over Biden’s fitness to govern threatened to dominate the gathering as the 81-year-old faces calls to quit the race for a second term after a disastrous debate performance against challenger Donald Trump.

Odesa hit

Meanwhile, Russian strikes killed three people in southern Ukraine, including at the Black Sea port of Odesa, authorities said on Wednesday.

“The aggressor targeted port infrastructure in the Odesa region. Unfortunately, two people were killed — a security guard and a truck driver,” governor Oleg Kiper said.

It was unclear whether the deaths were caused by direct hits, or falling debris from destroyed missiles.

The southern defense forces said Russia launched a ballistic missile and four guided missiles at the southern port.

“As a result of active countermeasures, three enemy Kh-59/Kh-69 missiles did not reach their targets,” it added.

Separately, a 62-year-old man was killed in Russian shelling on the southern city of Nikopol.

The air force said that 14 out of 20 drones launched over Ukraine were destroyed.