Dozens of world leaders will convene in Washington next week for NATO’s 75th-anniversary summit, where they will offer Ukraine a path toward membership in the alliance even if they aren’t quite ready to give Kyiv a key to the front door.
On Friday, a senior White House official said the allies will reaffirm at the summit that Ukraine’s future is with NATO. The U.S. will announce new steps to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses and other military capabilities to help them defend themselves and deter future Russian aggression.
“President Biden will host an event with (Ukrainian President Volodymyr) Zelenskyy and nearly two dozen of our allies and partners who signed bilateral security agreements with Ukraine,” the White House official told reporters during a briefing.
The U.S. and other NATO allies are continuing to flow weapons and ammunition into Ukraine to help them in their short-term efforts to defend against Russian attacks. However, the NATO summit also will focus on long-term support as part of Ukraine’s “bridge to membership” to the alliance. That means better coordination of training and logistics, a focus on developing Ukraine’s defense institutions, and making their military interoperable with NATO, the White House official said.
The summit will highlight NATO’s recent growth. The White House official said the addition of Finland and Sweden to the alliance was a singular achievement of the Biden administration. President Biden also coaxed NATO allies to earmark at least 2% of their gross domestic product (GDP) toward military spending.
“He rallied the alliance to build a global coalition to respond to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has shattered peace in Europe and shaken the rules-based international order, posing the greatest threat to transatlantic security in decades,” the White House official said.
The NATO summit will begin about two weeks after President Biden’s debate with his GOP rival, former President Donald Trump. His poor performance in Atlanta has prompted some fellow Democrats to urge him to step aside in favor of a more energetic candidate. However, the White House official pushed back on reports that NATO leaders were unduly concerned about Mr. Biden’s health or stamina.
“Foreign leaders have seen Joe Biden up close and personal for the last three years. They know who they’re dealing with and they know how effective he’s been,” the official said. “What the president has done over the last three years is to reinvigorate the NATO alliance, including expanding it and making it more capable.”
President Biden mobilized dozens of countries, both NATO members and those not part of the alliance, to oppose the Kremlin’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. He also invigorated partnerships with countries in the vital Indo-Pacific region, including encouraging some of them to back Ukraine’s struggle, the White House official said.
“He made it his mission to restore America’s standing on the world stage and to revitalize and rebuild our alliances and partnerships,” the White House official said.
• Mike Glenn can be reached at mglenn@washingtontimes.com.
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