One year after NATO sent a strong message to Russia at a unified, defiant summit in Madrid, President Biden will return to Europe on Monday aiming to conjure a similar sense of joint purpose.
Especially fraught is Ukraine’s push to join NATO. Some allies — including summit host Lithuania — welcome the idea, while countries like the United States and Germany warn it would instantly escalate the confrontation with Russia, potentially to a nuclear level.
For now, administration officials are scrambling to assemble a package of “security guarantees” that NATO could formally offer Ukraine during the summit. These commitments would fall short of a path to membership but signal a commitment to stand by the beleaguered country. White House officials hope the trip will send a message to Russian President Vladimir Putin that NATO remains committed to supporting Ukraine for the long term. The stop in Finland could draw comparisons to Trump’s 2018 visit to Helsinki, when heWhile Trump relished disrupting global alliances like NATO, Biden has sought to reassure domestic and global audiences that he is a steady hand capable of reasserting American leadership on the world stage.
But few issues are likely to be as contentious at the summit as the question of Ukraine’s membership. Britain, France, Germany and the United States have been leading the initiative on a document aimed at assuring Ukraine that an invasion like the current one would not be allowed to happen again, according to two Western diplomats who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Ukraine and expansion top NATO agenda as Biden tries to cement unityThe annual NATO summit could get testy over admitting Sweden to the alliance amid Turkey's objections.
Read more »
Four factors that could prevent Sweden from entering NATONATO member Türkiye is standing firm, refusing to back down on four issues concerning security and faith-based matters, while Stockholm continues to push its luck in its bid to be accepted into the powerful military alliance.
Read more »
Erdogan expects Sweden to fulfill pledges under Madrid pact for NATO bidSpeaking on the eve of a three-day NATO summit in Vilnius, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan says Türkiye expects Sweden to fulfill its promises made under last year’s Madrid memorandum for its alliance bid
Read more »
UK's Sunak tells Turkey of hopes Sweden's NATO accession will happen soonBritish Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan on Friday he hoped NATO could proceed with ratifying Sweden's accession to the alliance as soon as possible, pointing out the 'significant benefits' of the country's membership.
Read more »
Ukraine's Zelenskiy urges NATO summit to send 'clear signal' on membershipUkrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy called on NATO leaders to take concrete steps towards Ukrainian membership at a summit next week, and he received support during a visit to Prague from the Czech president, who backed Kyiv's bid to join the alliance.
Read more »
NATO outlines Ukraine's roadmap to becoming a memberNATO members will 'reaffirm' an earlier commitment that Ukraine will join the alliance in the future, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Friday.
Read more »