NATO must continue to support Ukraine. That was the core message from both the US president and NATO secretary general on Tuesday evening.
Reports from Washington, DC
Joe Biden presented a special gift to Jens Stoltenberg at NATO's 75th anniversary celebrations in Washington, D.C.:
Presidential Medal of Freedom – the highest award given by the Bureau.
In his speech, the US President promised more military support and more air defense for Ukraine.
– NATO is stronger than ever in history. Russia will not win. Biden said Ukraine will win.
– Support comes with risk.
Stoltenberg also highlighted the cost of war in his speech.
– We have to be honest about the fact that our support for Ukraine has a significant cost. It is not straightforward, because support comes with risks. He added that there are no free options with Russia as a neighbor.
The Secretary-General stressed that the greatest cost would be borne by Russia if it wins in Ukraine.
– We cannot allow this to happen. It will inspire other authoritarian leaders in North Korea and Iran, Stoltenberg said.
On Tuesday evening, senior leaders from 32 NATO nations and more partner nations gathered in Mellon Hall in Washington, D.C., to celebrate the alliance’s founding in the same room in 1949, 75 years ago.
Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) represents Norway at the anniversary meeting.
Biden's Opportunity
The speech was an opportunity for the 81-year-old president to show his allies in Europe and Canada that he is still capable of leading the United States and the alliance to another presidency, if he is re-elected in November.
In the presidential duel with Donald Trump two weeks ago, Biden looked tired and unfocused.
– It was bad to watch. Biden looked like a man with one foot in the grave. This was his big chance. American commentator and Civita consultant Eric Luke said after the debate that he was at a loss for words.
In the days that followed, several mainstream Democratic politicians called on Biden to withdraw from the party's presidential nomination for the next four years.
But in the hall in Washington, Biden (81 years old) was strong and clear in his voice, and clear in his message:
He welcomed Sweden and Finland as new NATO members, and made clear several times that the alliance is in a much better place now, with two-thirds of member states spending more than two percent of their gross national product on defense.
But his most important message was to provide more NATO support to Ukraine, and for NATO to stand united with Ukraine in the war against the Russian occupier.
Salute to Stoltenberg
Biden invited Stoltenberg to the podium and thanked him for his exceptional leadership over 10 years.
He apologized for asking Stoltenberg to continue.
“I asked you to stay in NATO. Forgive me for that. And you put your personal plans on hold,” the president said. “You never hesitated.”
Today, NATO is stronger, smarter, and more agile than it was when I joined NATO. A billion people in Europe, North America, and around the world will benefit from your work for years to come, in the form of greater security, opportunity, and freedom, Biden said.
“Coffee trailblazer. Certified pop culture lover. Infuriatingly humble gamer.”
