The President of the United States on Tuesday defended the importance of the Atlantic Alliance “remaining united”, while for Russian President Vladimir Putin, a victory would be “to break NATO”.
“I think President Putin thinks the way to win is to break NATO,” Joe Biden said when he arrived at LITEXPO in Vilnius, Lithuania, to attend the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit.
Flanked by the organization’s Secretary General, the President of the United States of America called for “NATO to stay united,” congratulating Jens Stoltenberg on his tenure until October 2024.
“Nobody knows the situation we are in better than you,” he said, greeting the Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance.
NATO’s secretary general said the agreement between Stockholm and Ankara on Sweden’s accession to the Atlantic Alliance makes the Vilnius summit a “historic” moment. Stoltenberg argued that “NATO security” is strengthened with the agreement.
Jens Stoltenberg also stressed that the result of the 2024 US presidential election will not change the consensus among member states on the need for Ukraine to win the war against the Russian invader.
Almost at the beginning of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) summit, Jens Stoltenberg was asked what security guarantees Ukraine can have if the next presidential election in the United States elects a candidate who Kiev does not support, as is happening with the current president, Joe Biden.
The Secretary General of the Atlantic Alliance replied that all member states are aware of the priorities.
“We all agree that the most important task now for Ukraine is to be victorious in this war and the most important thing to do now is to continue to support the war,” he pleaded.
The language that will appear in the document that will emerge from this summit has not yet been finalized, but Jens Stoltenberg was not committed to the word “invitation” in connection with Ukraine’s possible entry into NATO.
Stoltenberg stressed that the 31 countries that make up NATO will send “a clear and positive message” that they will support Ukraine as long as there is a need and “pave the way to” the accession of the country that was invaded by Russia last February . year.
More important than calendars and invitations, NATO’s Secretary General pushed for “more practical support”, such as the multi-year plan and interoperability between Ukraine’s and Alliance’s forces: “We are going to bring it closer to NATO and strengthen the political ties through the NATO-Ukraine Council.”
The NATO summit, which started today in Lithuania, is aimed at supporting Ukraine against the Russian invasion and Sweden’s entry into the Atlantic Alliance, as well as strengthening the allies’ military capabilities against future threats.
Strengthening the Alliance’s deterrence and defense capabilities is one of the key themes of the summit, which brings together the 31 current members to consider a review of the military organizational model and new regional plans – a plan whose relevance was reinforced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine started in February last year.
The summit will also serve to discuss the strengthening of investment by the Allies, to respond to this plan and to address Ukraine’s needs in its war effort.
Source: DN
