‘Rumors of the death of NATO are greatly exaggerated’: White House warns Putin
President Joe Biden vowed in Lithuania to defend “every inch” of NATO territory as the mighty alliance took a major step toward adding its 32nd member.
The president was speaking in the capital of Vilnius at the start of a NATO summit when his national security adviser said rumors of division over support for Ukraine are “greatly exaggerated.”
National security adviser Jake Sullivan warned on Tuesday that Vladimir Putin will be “disappointed” by what emerges from a key NATO summit in Lithuania.
President Biden’s top aide lashed out at claims that divisions had erupted over Washington’s decision to send controversial cluster bombs to Kiev’s armed forces.
President Joe Biden vowed to defend “every inch” of NATO territory during his meeting with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda at the Presidential Palace at the start of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania Tuesday
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was among a chorus of voices expressing concern about shipping the highly lethal weapons to the war-torn country.
But in a response to DailyMail.com, Sullivan rejected claims that the 31-nation military alliance was split over its support for the Ukrainian military.
“I would say rumors of the death of the NATO unit were greatly exaggerated,” he said. “Vladimir Putin counted on the West to crack, NATO to crack and the Transatlantic Alliance to crack and he has been disappointed at every turn.”
The Russian tyrant will be “deeply disappointed” by what emerges from the two-day meeting in Lithuania, Sullivan added.
And in a clear sign that tensions were rising, Russia’s ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov accused Washington of plotting a “showdown” with Moscow.
Biden kicked off the summit after a major breakthrough that would grow the alliance to 32 members
“Everything is being done to prepare domestic public opinion for the approval of the anti-Russian decisions that will be taken in Vilnius in the coming days,” he told RIA news agency, a spokesperson for the Kremlin.
Ukraine is seeking temporary security guarantees from the US and its allies pending NATO accession.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will hold talks with Joe Biden on Wednesday as part of that push for legally binding protection against future Russian aggression.
On Monday, the Mutual Defense Club agreed to scrap its so-called Membership Action Plan for Kiev, traditionally a waiting room for countries to sign up.
It means in theory that Ukraine is about to join, but Joe Biden has warned that won’t happen until the war is over.
A “reform path for Ukraine” will be drawn up, but “I can’t put a timeline on it,” Sullivan said.
He ruled out any immediate entry for Western-backed Ukraine given the ongoing war against the Russian invasion, saying it would “pull NATO into war with Russia.”
A paper by ex-NATO chief Ander Fogh Rasmussen and his chief of staff Andriy Yermak last year suggested a Kyiv Security Compact, effectively a shadow of NATO membership, to protect the country and its people from future Russian aggression.
It said it should include the US, UK, Canada, Poland, Italy, Germany, France, Australia and Turkey, as well as the Baltics, Central and Eastern Europe.
Ukraine first became eligible for NATO membership in 2008, but was never offered a formal process to join for fear Russia would be provoked by such a move.
Under Article 5 of the Alliance’s Mutual Defense Treaty, an attack on one NATO ally is considered an attack on all.
But it is not automatic and the clause requires the approval of all NATO countries to be activated.
That has happened only once since NATO was founded in 1949; in 2001 after the 9/11 attacks and George W. Bush’s invasion of Afghanistan.
The focus on Ukraine comes as Turkey backed down from blocking Sweden’s bid to join NATO on Monday.
It followed hours of last-minute diplomacy that saw the US give the go-ahead for the delivery of F-16 fighter jets to the Turkish government.
NATO Chief Jens Stoltenberg made the announcement in a joint statement with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Swede Ulf Kristersson.
Erdogan said he would urge Turkish MPs to ratify Sweden’s application to join the 31-member mutual defense club “as soon as possible.”
Earlier, the strong leader had linked the dropping of his opposition to Stockholm’s possible membership to the revival of long-failed accession negotiations with the EU.