U.S. President Joe Biden and leaders of other NATO member states are poised to unveil new aid and reiterate a membership pledge for Ukraine at a summit in Washington after the U.S. leader vowed to defend Kyiv against Russia’s invasion.
Biden, 81, who has faced questions about his fitness for office after fumbling a June 27 debate, hopes the international event will help him stage a comeback of sorts ahead of his Nov. 5 reelection bid.
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg told reporters on Wednesday morning that he expected NATO allies will agree a “substantial” package for Ukraine and would expand other partnerships particularly in the Asia-Pacific region.
Stoltenberg said the package would involve a new NATO command for Ukraine to provide security assistance and training, and a long-term pledge to continue and sustain support for Kyiv.
He said there would be new announcements of immediate military support, including air defense and moves to ensure full interoperability between Ukrainian forces and NATO forces. He also said he expected allies to reiterate a commitment that Ukraine will become a NATO member.
The latest draft of the summit declaration, which needs to be agreed by all, says NATO will continue to support Ukraine “on its irreversible path to full Euro-atlantic integration, including NATO membership,” an alliance source told Reuters.
The draft also reaffirms that NATO will “be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the alliance when allies agree and conditions are met,” the source said.
In a forceful speech on Tuesday, Biden said NATO was “stronger than it’s ever been” and that Ukraine can and will stop Russian President Vladimir Putin “with our full, collective support.”
NATO members have already announced the delivery of five additional Patriot and other strategic air defense systems to help Ukraine. More aid announcements are expected at the summit, which marks the alliance’s 75th anniversary.
The standoff with Russia over Ukraine, which Moscow invaded in 2022, heads the NATO agenda. The summit also gives leaders a chance to address other vexing security issues, including the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza and deepening bonds between Russia, Iran, China and North Korea.
November’s U.S. presidential election could presage a sharp change in Washington’s support for Ukraine and NATO. Republican candidate Donald Trump, 78, has questioned the amount of aid given to Ukraine to fight Russia’s invasion, and U.S. support for allies generally.
As Biden tried to rally allies and domestic support, several high-ranking European officials met with a top foreign policy adviser to Trump during the summit.
ZELENSKIY ON CAPITOL HILL
On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy is expected to meet with leaders of the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives and some of the committees involved in defense, spending, diplomacy and national security who will vote on future aid for his country. He is expected to thank them for $175 billion already approved since Russia invaded in February 2022 and to call for more.
Reuters reported last month that two Trump advisers had presented Zelenskiy with a plan to end Russia’s war in Ukraine – if Trump wins the election – that involves telling Kyiv it will get more U.S. weapons only if it enters peace talks.
Any such talks appear a long way off. In an impassioned speech in Washington on Tuesday evening, Zelenskiy said the losses from the war were “difficult” and that seeing dead children “you want to kill Putin at this moment.”
In Congress, dozens of Trump’s closest allies have voted repeatedly against assisting Zelenskiy’s government, although Democrats and more internationally focused Republicans have worked together to approve the existing aid levels.
A senior NATO official said this week that Russia lacks the munitions and troops to start a major offensive in Ukraine, but that it could sustain its war economy for three to four more years. Ukraine also has not yet amassed the munitions and personnel it needs to mount its own large-scale offensive operations, the official said.
On the sidelines of the meeting, Biden is expected to meet new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer for their first face-to-face talks since Starmer’s Labour Party won a landslide election victory that ended 14 years of Conservative rule. The countries are key trans-Atlantic allies.
Biden will host a dinner for NATO heads of state and government on Wednesday, an event that would not normally draw attention but has come into focus given concerns over whether he could handle the demands of the presidency for another four years.
(Reuters)