The NATO summit as it kicks off is weighed down by the unknowns of the White House race

WASHINGTON - A summit to strengthen NATO and its cohesion on its 75th birthday. To present a united front in the face of the threat now represented first and foremost by Russia and its invasion of Ukraine, with Kiev receiving new aid and support. And an eye also turned beyond the Atlantic, to global partnerships in the Asian and Pacific theatre, evident in Washington's invitations to allies such as Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia.

This is - beyond the celebrations - the agenda of the three-day summit in the US capital that will see President Joe Biden host dozens of international leaders from today.

At the heart of the Kiev drama are announcements of a 'package' that includes the delivery of new anti-aircraft defence systems; an unprecedented command and logistics centre to better coordinate arms supplies and training of the Ukrainian forces; greater interoperability between the latter and NATO; minimum war aid to Kiev of 43 billion dollars in one year; and bilateral security pacts. Progress towards admitting Ukraine into NATO will also be reiterated. "I expect the leaders to agree on a substantial plan," the organisation's outgoing Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg - he will be replaced by former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in October - said on the eve of the meeting, calling support for Kiev "the most urgent mission". He added that NATO would take over the "coordination of much of the international security assistance" and described the set of initiatives as "a bridge to Ukraine's entry into NATO".

The aim of the summit is also to bring out greater industrial cooperation between the allies, overcoming competition and tensions, deemed indispensable to improve capabilities and production in defence, which are being tested by Moscow's war economy. Collective increases in military investment will be emphasised and stimulated, with 23 countries, almost two-thirds of the members, having so far cut the long-standing target of 2% of GDP expenditure. The traditional US role as not only a leader but also a major funder of NATO has fed growing resentment in US politics.

The Atlantic Alliance now has 32 members, up from 12 at its inception in 1949. But its development and the evolution of geopolitical challenges - from the Cold War to the Balkans, from terrorism to Russia again - have led to shocks and changes: the organisation's recent strategies, revised last year for the first time in a long time, may require additional forces, estimated at between 100,000 and 350,000 soldiers (35-50 brigades), as well as new air defences. NATO currently has 500,000 troops in a state of high readiness.