The NATO summit was about Ukraine and Biden. Here are some key things to know
WASHINGTON — NATO leaders gathered this week to celebrate the alliance’s 75th anniversary amid deep political uncertainty in the alliance’s most powerful member, the United States.
But even as questions swirled about President Joe Biden’s future and the implications of a possible return to the White House by NATO skeptic Donald Trump, the 32 allies remained put a brave face on their strength and unity in the future, especially with regard to Ukraine.
For three days in Washington, Ukraine and Russia, the threat of an increasingly aggressive China and the future of NATO dominated the formal summit talks, although all eyes were on Biden.
He hoped to use the summit as a symbol of his strength as leader of the free world as he struggles to salvage his re-election campaign. Biden has faced growing calls to withdraw after a poor debate performance against Trump last month.
These are the main conclusions of the summit:
Biden surprised the audience during a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council on Thursday by describing Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russian President Vladimir Putin, before quickly correcting himself.
During his press conference later at the end of the summit, he accidentally referred to Vice President Kamala Harris as Vice President Trump.
NATO leaders showed great respect for Biden, ignoring or sidestepping questions about his behavior, appearance and understanding of the issues. They praised his leadership and the achievements NATO has made during his White House tenure, including mobilizing allies to oppose Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine and adding Finland and Sweden as members.
French President Emmanuel Macron and new British Prime Minister Keir Starmer were repeatedly asked about the blunder, but declined to comment directly.
“We can all make slips of the tongue,” Macron said. “It happened to me. I am sure it will happen to me again tomorrow, and I would like to ask you to be as kind to me.”
Macron said he had a long conversation with Biden during dinner with NATO leaders on Wednesday and had heard his conversations in meetings during the summit. He described Biden as “very much aware of the issues.”
“He knows the issues and at the table he is one of those with the greatest knowledge of these international issues,” Macron said.
Starmer, making his debut on the international stage at the summit, dodged multiple questions about the gaffe and instead praised Biden for his leadership and preparation to deliver an event that would deliver solid results for Ukraine.
“I want to look at the content of what has been achieved in these two days,” he said.
A potential Trump presidency is concerns expressed in some European capitals. Trump has repeatedly questioned the relevance of NATO, suggested he might withdraw from the alliance or threatened not to defend allies who fail to meet their 2% defense spending commitments.
Biden said at his press conference that he is the “best qualified person” to ensure that the 32-member transatlantic alliance remains strong and that Ukraine does not fall into Putin’s hands.
“Foreign policy has never been his strong point, and he seems to have an affinity for people who are authoritarian,” Biden said of Trump. “That worries Europe, that worries Poland, and nobody, including the people of Poland, thinks that if (Putin) wins in Ukraine, he’s going to stop in Ukraine.”
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said he was not worried about U.S. commitment to the alliance if Trump returns to the White House, as the alliance enjoys bipartisan support in Congress and a record number of allies are meeting their military spending targets.
Trump was asked this week on Fox News Radio if he wants the US to leave NATO. He replied, “No, I want them to pay their bills.”
Zelenskyy, meanwhile, delivered a speech to Republican allies, including Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, on the sidelines of the summit, saying he hopes the US never leaves NATO.
“I hope that if the people of America elect President Trump, his policy toward Ukraine will not change,” Zelenskyy said in a question-and-answer session with Fox News host Bret Baier after his speech.
While they did not invite Ukraine to join, the allies reaffirmed that Ukraine is on an “irreversible path” to NATO membership and pledged to maintain a base of about $43 billion in annual aid to Kiev as the country defends itself against the Russian invasion and attempts to deter future aggression.
There were new commitments for air defense support, including Patriot missile systems and F-16 fighter jets, as well as promises that individual security agreements signed by NATO members with Ukraine would form a “bridge to NATO.” As part of that bridge, NATO agreed to launch a new program to provide Ukraine with reliable military assistance and training and to help the country prepare for accession to the alliance.
“Ukraine’s future lies in NATO,” the allies said in their joint communiqué on Wednesday.
Zelenskyy embraced the support of allies who backed him substantial new military aid and a path to NATO accession, but he strongly urged that aid be delivered more quickly and restrictions are lifted about the use of American weapons to attack military targets in Russia.
“If we want to win, if we want to triumph, if we want to save and defend our country, we must lift all restrictions,” Zelenskyy said next to Stoltenberg in the final hours of a summit where Ukraine was promised new weapons to bolster its defenses against Russia.
NATO leaders have been worried about China and its increasing aggressiveness for some time. But for the first time, they adopted significantly stronger language calling on Beijing to support Russia in its war on Ukraine.
The communiqué called China a “decisive facilitator” of Russia’s war effort, saying Chinese investment and exports of dual-use items are rebuilding Russia’s defense industry sector, helping Russia overcome Western sanctions and ramp up production of weapons for use in Ukraine.
China opposes NATO’s involvement in the Indo-Pacific region, which it says harms Beijing’s interests and disrupts peace and stability in the region, said Lin Jian, a spokesperson for the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The four Indo-Pacific countries attending the summit – Japan, South Korea, New Zealand and Australia – issued a joint statement strongly condemning “illegal military cooperation” between Russia and North Korea, showing how the military alliance and its Pacific partners are working more closely together to combat what they see as a shared threat to security.
“We must work even more closely together to preserve the peace and protect the rules-based international order,” Stoltenberg said during a meeting with officials from the four Pacific partners. “Our security is not regional. It is global.”