The two-day NATO summit is at the end of the road. The solemn meeting was over, and at the top of the agenda was the war in Ukraine. On Wednesday evening, US President Joe Biden spoke to a large audience in the Lithuanian capital, Vilnius.
Lithuanians raising the American and Lithuanian flags.
Photo: Eve Hermann/Reuters
We are celebrating 100 years of diplomacy between the United States and the Baltic states. We never acknowledged the Soviet occupation in front of a crowd of fans, he said.
The US President criticized Russia, and said the country could end the war at any time, but they chose not to:
– In about a year and a half, Russian forces have committed unimaginable crimes, he says.
When Putin, with his cowardly desire for land and power, unleashed his brutal war against Ukraine, he bet that NATO would collapse. He thought our common bond would be broken when we were tested. He believed that democratic leaders were weak. But he was wrong.
A committed US president speaks to a cheering crowd after the NATO summit in Lithuania today.
Photo: Reuters
NATO is strong
Then, a distinctly optimistic Biden asks his allies not to give up, to work together to achieve common goals, and to create the world we want.
He described the relationship between the United States and Europe as a pillar of global stability:
NATO is stronger, more active and united than ever.
Although the topics at the summit were heavy, Foreign Minister Anken Huitfeldt was able to report on a good mood among the allies.
Photo: NATO
Biden looked back at the start of the invasion, praising NATO, which has supported Ukraine from the start:
– We tried diplomacy with Russia. And when the Russian bombs started falling, we didn’t hesitate to take action.
Moreover, a convinced Biden summed up the meeting’s highlights:
– Over the past few days, as President of the United States, I had the pleasure to participate in the historic NATO summit in Lithuania. There we wished to welcome the newest member of NATO, Finland, and agreed that Sweden should join the alliance as soon as possible.
Biden expressed great optimism during his speech.
Photo: Petras Malloukas/AFP
Biden ended his speech by saying he had never had such optimistic future prospects in his career.
Climate recall is the biggest threat
Although Ukraine has been the main focus in recent days, so have the NATO countries Climate meeting in Vilnius.
Biden singled out climate as the greatest threat to the human race:
Only by standing together can we protect our future and the future of our children and grandchildren.
Kudos to Erdogan
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also received American praise for keeping his word when they included Sweden in the defense alliance.
For more than a year, Erdogan banned the Swedish app. But a day before the start of the official NATO summit, Sweden and Turkey agreed to an agreement.
One of the most notable events was that Erdoğan lifted the ban on Sweden’s membership in NATO.
Photo: NATO
Ukraine in NATO
Ukraine’s NATO membership is among the things that have been linked to the great tension in the run-up to the meeting.
But Biden has said the war in Ukraine must end before NATO membership can be considered.
Joe Biden has vowed that the United States will stand with Ukraine, and will continue to send military equipment as long as the country is at war.
Photo: LUDOVIC MARIN/AFP
Zelensky’s goal before the meeting was to find out when Ukraine would be allowed to join NATO, but he says he realizes that cannot be done when the country is at war.
However, there have been assurances that Ukraine is a close partner of NATO, and that the defense alliance will continue to support Ukraine in the war, until peace is reached.
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