Biden prepares to sit down with Zelensky after his furious outburst after allies agreed to admit Ukraine to NATO after ‘conditions are met’ and failed to set a timeline
- Biden starts his day with a meeting of the North Atlantic Council
- NATO issued a communiqué that stopped before a certain date
- He will be with Zelensky on Wednesday afternoon
President Joe Biden is preparing to sit down with Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday after the Ukrainian president erupted over NATO’s statement that gave no date for when Ukraine would be invited to join the alliance.
Zelensky had hoped for more results from the summit of NATO leaders meeting here in Vilnius, but was instead presented with a statement saying it will join the mighty alliance “when the allies agree and the terms are met.” is completed’.
That came after Biden said ahead of the summit that Ukraine was not yet ready to join, saying he had put it in the middle of a hot war that he fears could lead to “World War III.”
Zelensky annoyed some members of the US delegation with a blistering Twitter outburst shortly before he arrived.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky came to the summit and denounced NATO allies for not specifying a date when Ukraine would be invited to join
“It is unprecedented and absurd that no timetable has been set for the invitation, nor for Ukraine’s membership. While at the same time adding vague words about “conditions” even for inviting Ukraine,” Zelensky said.
“This means that an opportunity is left to negotiate Ukraine’s NATO membership with Russia,” he said. “And for Russia, this means motivation to continue its terror.”
He followed that up with a speech to an admiring crowd in Vilnius Town Square, where locals have long memories of the decades when Lithuania was absorbed into the Soviet Empire.
White House national security official Amanda Sloat spoke of the new joint communiqué on Ukraine for what it did signal, as opposed to what Zelensky said it lacked.
Speaking in Vilnius Town Square waving a Bakhmut battle flag, talking to his wife Olena Zelenska
Biden, here with Nato Sec. General Jens Stoltenberg has warned against admitting Ukraine while it is at war
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) and his wife Olena Zelenska (L) participate in a family photo before the social dinner at the NATO summit. Biden skipped the event
Turkish President Recep Erdogan, who met with Biden, announced that he would back a bid to allow Sweden to join the group.
She called it “unprecedented,” adding during a phone call with reporters traveling with the president that “we have reconfirmed that Ukraine will join the NATO alliance.
She noted that the negotiators have upgraded a “committee” for Ukraine to a “council.”
In 2008, in a move that still preoccupied diplomats gathered in Vilnius, members in Bucharest said Georgia and Ukraine would eventually join the powerful group. Russia invaded Russia months later.
Zelensky was less caustic in comments to reporters on Wednesday.
He said he is working to ensure Ukraine “gets this invitation when security measures allow,” adding: “We want to be on the same page with everyone.”
He has a long track record of demanding more, even from allies supplying heavy weapons to help Ukraine fight the Russian invasion, often with useful results.