Leaders from member states of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are expected to agree to increase aid for Ukraine at their summit meeting in the United States.

The summit opened in Washington on Tuesday and will continue through Thursday. Full-scale discussions will begin on Wednesday.

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg stated that support for Ukraine is their most important task at the summit.

Stoltenberg suggested the leaders will agree to strengthen NATO's role through military assistance, and to coordinate provision of weapons and training of Ukrainian soldiers.

He noted that NATO members have provided about 40 billion euros in military aid each year since the start of Russia's invasion, and said they will likely decide to sustain that level next year.

Ukraine faced a tough winter due to delays in support.
Stoltenberg added that an agreement at this summit would minimize the risk of another such delay.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is scheduled to join NATO leaders at the summit.

Four countries from the Indo-Pacific, including Japan, have also been invited, as they were for last year's summit in Lithuania.

The expanded meeting aims to strengthen cooperation in areas such as cybersecurity and production potential of the defense industry.