WASHINGTON — NATO leaders meeting in Washington starting Tuesday plan to bolster transatlantic support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia. But for host President Joe Biden, the summit has become as much a matter of demonstrate that he is able to meet the demanding demands of the presidency for another four years.
Heads of state from Europe and North America are faced with the prospect of the return of NATO sceptic Donald Trump As Biden tries to salvage his re-election campaign, which has been in a downward spiral after his disastrous performance at the June 27 debate against Trump.
The president said his work at the summit, where NATO is celebrating 75 years, would be a good way to assess his continued ability to get the job done. He pointed to his work mobilizing NATO members in their tough response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine as a good example of his steadfast leadership and one reason he deserves another four years in the White House.
“Our allies are looking for American leadership,” Biden said in an MSNBC interview Monday. “Who else do you think can step in here and do this? I’ve expanded NATO. I’ve strengthened NATO. I’ve made sure that we’re in a position where we have a coalition of … countries around the world to deal with China, Russia, everything that’s happening in the world. We’re making real progress.”
Biden is in a flash of lightning to convince voters, Democrats and donors that he is still qualified for the job. He has made his case on the campaign trailin a challenging letter to Democratic lawmakers and during friendly media interviews in recent days. However, he is facing skepticism from some old allies.
Six Democratic members of the House of Representatives have publicly called on Biden to end his campaign. Other lawmakers have privately urged him to step aside, and several prominent donors have expressed concerns about his viability in the race.
The White House is hoping to show wavering Democrats that Biden still has the chops during what is expected to be a busy few days of formal summits, casual conversations with leaders, long diplomatic dinners and receptions, and a closing press conference.
Several senior administration officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss internal conversations, say the president has demonstrated a good grasp of the broader issues — Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the threat posed by China — but that Biden appears at worst confused or without a clear understanding of how to handle specific, incremental actions that countries or groups can take when it comes to these conflicts.
However, officials say there is no crisis of confidence in Biden’s overall mental state, at least not yet.
The summit will give Biden his first chance to meet him in person. new British Prime Minister Keir StarmerBiden called Starmer last week to congratulate him on his victory and plans to host him for talks at the White House on Wednesday.
According to a spokesman for the prime minister, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the private conversation, the Labour Party leader expressed no concerns about Biden’s mental state during the call.
The meeting of leaders from the 32 NATO nations — plus Pacific partners Australia, Japan, New Zealand and South Korea, as well as Ukraine — is expected to be one of Biden’s final appearances at an international forum before Election Day and will take place before next week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
Biden has tried to emphasize his commitment to the alliance while convincing voters that Trump would turn his back on NATO if he returned to the White House.
Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO allies for failing to meet an agreed target of spending at least 2 percent of gross domestic product on defense. European fears were heightened in February when Trump warned NATO allies in a campaign speech that he would “encourage” Russia to do whatever they want” to countries that fail to meet their defense spending targets when he returns to the White House.
Trump has criticized Biden for being a “endless flow of American treasures” to UkraineThe Republican has recently opened up to borrow money Instead, he has said that Ukraine’s independence is important to the United States.
Biden aides have pushed back, pointing to NATO’s announcement last month that 23 of its 32 member states would meet the alliance’s defense spending target this year. Nine met the target when Biden took office in 2021.
Biden has also taken credit for NATO expansion, with both Finland and Sweden joining after Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022.
“That’s not an accident,” said John Kirby, White House national security spokesman. “It’s a leadership thing. It’s a constant oversight of the alliance and other partnerships around the world. The president’s track record speaks for itself.”
NATO is expected to announce details of Ukraine’s path to membership in the alliance at the summit. NATO, which is built on the fundamental understanding that an attack on one member is an attack on all, has insisted it will not bring Ukraine into line until the conflict with Russia is over.
Kirby said the leaders will also discuss efforts to establish a coordination center in Germany to train, equip Ukrainian forces and coordinate logistics for the country’s expected accession to NATO.
The US and allies plan to announce measures at the summit to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses and military capabilities to deter Russian aggression, Kirby said.
Ian Brzezinski, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank in Washington, said Biden should use the summit to “significantly change the impression” he left with his poor debate performance.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for him to lead with strength and energy, to underscore his commitment, the commitment of the administration, and by the way the commitment of Congress to the alliance, and to underscore that he brings the determination that has made NATO so successful,” Brzezinski said.
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Associated Press journalists Matthew Lee in Washington and Jill Lawless in London contributed to this report.