White House says Biden doesn’t need to prove anything to foreign leaders

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The White House on Monday said President Biden, who faces growing questions at home about his abilities, doesn’t need to prove anything to foreign leaders when he hosts the NATO Summit in Washington with trans-Atlantic allies this week.

Mr. Biden’s disastrous debate performance raised questions about his ability to continue as the presumptive Democratic nominee. The NATO summit from Tuesday to Thursday will be his first major diplomatic test, though the administration claims not to see it that way.

“I don’t believe that’s the case,” National Security Council John Kirby said. “We’re not picking up any signs of that at all, quite the contrary.”

Some foreign leaders are fretting about the possible return of former President Donald Trump, the presumptive GOP nominee, and his “America first” agenda. Media reports have suggested that foreign allies are getting skittish about Mr. Biden’s abilities, though Mr. Kirby again downplayed the notion.

“I’m not aware of any such conversations that have been had, certainly not with us,” Mr. Kirby said. “Rather than browbeating, insulting and demeaning allies, this president has invested in allies and partnerships.”

In a personal aside, Mr. Kirby said he is uncomfortable answering questions about his boss’s abilities behind closed doors, though he vouched for Mr. Biden.

“In my experience, I have not seen any reason whatsoever to question or doubt his lucidity, his grasp of context, his probing nature and the degree to which he is completely in charge of facts and figures,” Mr. Kirby said.

Looking ahead, Mr. Kirby said the NATO summit will feature bilateral meetings between Mr. Biden and new U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

“I have no doubt there will be additional bilats,” Mr. Kirby said.

Efforts to bolster Ukraine’s resistance to Russian invaders will loom over the event.

Mr. Kirby said the Ukrainians, supported by recent U.S. funding, have held the line in certain hotspots, “hardening their defenses and ensuring the Russians will not break through.”

He said Ukrainian resistance caused heavy Russian casualties and harmed morale among Russian President Vladimir Putin’s troops.

“The people of Ukraine,” he said, “have yet again demonstrated that when supplied, and when supported by the international community and the United States, they can hold off the largest — though certainly not, it’s clearly evident — the most capable army in Europe.”