Joe Biden’s administration has told Ukraine that the US “deserves some gratitude” for its billions of dollars in military aid to the war-torn country.
US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan issued a thinly veiled warning to Kiev one day after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky ranted on social media about what he called an “absurd” delay in offering his country full NATO membership.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Lithuania to push for more military support for his country
Sullivan angrily rejected claims by Ukrainian anti-corruption activist Daria Kaleniuk that the president was “afraid of Russia” by not setting a timetable for Ukraine to join the Brussels-based military alliance.
The campaigner also infamously ambushed ex-British Prime Minister Boris Johnson at a press conference in Warsaw last year, berating him for NATO’s failure to impose a no-fly zone over Ukraine.
At a side event at the two-day NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania, top Biden aide Sullivan dismissed her criticism, saying, “There are a lot of conspiracy theories out there that are simply not based on any reality.”
“The United States of America has provided a tremendous amount of capability to ensure that Ukraine’s brave soldiers have the ammunition, air defenses, infantry, combat vehicles, demining equipment and much more to defend effectively. against the onslaught of Russia and also to take back territory.
“I think the American people deserve a certain amount of gratitude from the United States government for their willingness to stand up, and from the rest of the world as well.”
In a thinly veiled swipe at Zelensky’s criticism of his Western allies, Sullivan said some of the allegations against the US were “completely groundless and unwarranted.”
The United States is by far the largest donor of military aid to Ukraine, providing more than $46 billion worth of hardware to Kiev, according to data from a respected German think tank.
Most of the weapons shipped to Ukraine are also made in the US, boosting jobs in the country’s main defense sector.
The second largest donor, on the other hand, is Britain, which has offered just over $6 billion, according to the Ukraine Support Tracker from the Kiel Institute for the World Economy.
Zelensky is holding talks with several key NATO allies in Lithuania on Wednesday, seeking further military support for the Ukrainian army.
Last week he won a US commitment for cluster munitions that could cause significant damage to Russian troops.
Washington’s decision to supply cluster bombs to Ukraine — banned in much of the world — has proved highly controversial.
Biden admitted it had been “a difficult decision,” one strongly condemned by humanitarian groups.
Sullivan said on Sunday that Kiev had pledged to use the ammunition only on Ukrainian territory “where they have the greatest incentive to limit the impact on civilians, because it is Ukrainian citizens who are at risk.”
Russia’s war in Ukraine – and the prospect of the war-torn country joining the security alliance – will be top of the agenda at today’s NATO summit
Amanda Sloat, senior director of European affairs for the US National Security Council, defended the summit’s decisions.
“I agree that the communiqué is unprecedented, but I see that in a positive sense,” she told reporters on Wednesday.
Sloat noted that Ukraine is not required to submit a “membership action plan” if it wants to join NATO – an important step in the process that includes advice and assistance for countries seeking to join – but added “there are still reforms to be made.” the field of governance and security sector. that will be needed’ in Ukraine.
Symbols of support for Ukraine are common around Vilnius, where the country’s blue-and-yellow flags hang from buildings and taped to windows.
But there has been more caution during the summit itself, especially from Biden, who has explicitly said he doesn’t think Ukraine is ready to join NATO. There are concerns that democracy in the country is unstable and corruption remains too entrenched.
Article 5 of the NATO charter obliges members to defend each other against attacks that could quickly draw the US and other countries into direct combat with Russia.
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 US and Britain used the meeting in Vilnius to tell all NATO allies to spend the agreed 2 percent of GDP on defense.
Only 11 countries met that target: the United States, Great Britain, Poland, Greece, Estonia, Lithuania, Finland, Romania, Hungary, Latvia and Slovakia.
But Poland recently announced it will increase defense spending to as much as 4 percent by the end of this year in response to Russia’s war on Ukraine.