Nato members have pledged their support for an "irreversible path" to future membership for Ukraine, as well as more aid. In response, former Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev said he hoped this would end "either with the disappearance of Ukraine, or Nato -- or better still, both”. A US State Department director tells Newshour that Russia is trying to “undermine the alliance and threaten” the war-torn nation.

Also in the programme: As US President Joe Biden prepares to take to the stage, will he reassure critics that he is a competent candidate for the 2024 election? And- researchers film male lions swimming over a mile to find mates - in a species first. We speak to a big cat expert.

(Photo: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky hugs Nato Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg at the 2024 Nato Conference in Washington DC, 11th July 2024. Credit: Jim Lo Scalzo/EPA-EFE/REX/Shutterstock)