NATO leaders conducted an unprecedented emergency summit meeting on the one-month anniversary of Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. After meeting with NATO leaders, President Biden forcefully declared, “NATO has never been more united.” Biden announced that the United States will contribute to the growing refugee crisis by providing over $1 billion dollars in humanitarian assistance and by admitting 100,000 Ukrainian refugees to the United States. The President also announced a new round of sanctions directed at over 400 Russian politicians, oligarchs, and defense companies.

Show of Strength
In a show of strength and unity, NATO commanders assigned battle groups to bolster defenses in Romania, Hungry, Bulgaria, and Slovakia. In addition, American soldiers joined Polish forces in joint exercises near the Polish-Belarus border. The show of force sent a clear signal to Putin that the West is prepared to defend, “every square inch of NATO territory.”

But what about chemical weapons?
The United States continued to warn that Putin may resort to using chemical weapons. For example, a chemical attack in Kyiv could force the Zelensky government to flee the capital. Although he did not offer a specific response, President Biden stated that a chemical attack “would trigger a response in kind. The nature of the response would depend upon the nature of the use.”