U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed NATO (NATO) leaders to Washington on Tuesday, celebrating their unity on the Russia-Ukraine conflict and emphasizing the strong U.S. commitment to NATO during his presidency. The speech also appeared to inspire wavering Democratic supporters.
Biden reaffirms commitment to NATO unity
After a poor debate performance with Trump, Biden has been trying to convince American voters and gold-diggers that he is ready for re-election. A sternly worded letter to Democratic members of Congress on Monday and a passionate speech at a NATO summit on Tuesday are both attempts to prove he can make it another four years in the White House.
Welcoming leaders at an evening event celebrating NATO’s 75th anniversary, Biden said “Today, NATO is stronger than ever, 32 strong nations. We are stronger than ever, and that’s a good thing, because this moment in history requires our collective strength.”
The summit comes at a difficult time in Biden’s presidency. Several Democratic House members have publicly called on him to drop out of the race. Other lawmakers urged him to resign in private conversations, and several prominent donors expressed concern about his ability to win against Trump.
Biden will have a tough, substantive conversation on global security during the three-day NATO summit. But the White House also wants to show the American public that Biden has enough energy to handle a busy schedule of formal meetings, informal conversations with world leaders, lengthy diplomatic dinners and receptions, and a press conference at the end of the summit.
The United States and other NATO countries are taking major steps to strengthen Ukraine’s air defenses, Biden announced Tuesday. The U.S., Germany and Romania will donate additional Patriot air defense systems, and the Netherlands and other allies will donate additional components to operate the Patriot air defense system. Italy announced last month that it would provide Ukraine with the SAMP/T anti-missile system.
Other allies, including Canada, Norway, Spain and the United Kingdom, will provide other systems designed to improve Ukraine’s defenses.
Biden said, “This is a pivotal moment for Europe and the transatlantic community, and I will make my contribution to the world.”
Biden also announced that he was awarding the Presidential Medal of Freedom to outgoing NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. Biden called Stoltenberg a “consummate professional.” Stoltenberg held the post for 10 years and was extended four times. But Biden’s own political pain gripped the summit less than four months before Election Day.
Strengthening Ukraine’s air defenses
Discussing internal conversations, several senior administration officials, who asked not to be identified, said the president has shown a strong grasp of broader issues, the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the threat posed by China, but when it comes to those conflicts, countries or groups may take specific and incremental actions, Biden sometimes appeared confused. Officials say there is no crisis of confidence in Biden’s general state of mind, at least not yet.
German Chancellor Sebastian Scholz told reporters Tuesday before leaving Berlin for the summit that he was not concerned about Biden’s health. Scholz said, “From my many conversations with the president of the United States, I know that he is very well prepared for this summit and is very precisely with us.”
The summit will give Biden his first chance to meet face-to-face with incoming British Prime Minister Keir Starmer. Biden called Starmer last week to congratulate him on his victory and plans to meet with him Wednesday (July 10) at the White House.
During their phone conversation, Labor leader Starmer had no concerns about Biden’s mental acuity, according to a spokesman who asked not to be identified.
Facing domestic political challenges
However, domestic political challenges still exist. Biden has been hoping to emphasize his commitment to the alliance while making it clear to voters that he will turn his back on NATO if Trump returns to the White House.
Trump has repeatedly criticized NATO members that fail to meet the goal of spending at least 2 percent of their gross domestic product on defense. In February, Trump warned NATO allies in a campaign speech that if he returned to the White House, he would “encourage” Russia to “do whatever it wants” to countries that do not meet their defense spending targets, further increasing anxiety in Europe.
Trump has criticized Biden for providing Ukraine with “endless American treasure.” The Republican recently expressed a willingness to lend money to Ukraine and said its independence was important to the United States.
Biden’s aides said NATO announced last month that 23 of its 32 member countries met NATO’s defense spending goals this year. Nine member countries will have reached their goals by the time Biden succeeds Trump in 2021. Biden also took credit for NATO’s expansion. Both Finland and Sweden joined NATO after the Russia-Ukraine conflict.
“This is no accident,” said Kirby, the White House national security spokesman. “It’s because of leadership. It’s because of our ongoing stewardship of NATO and other partnerships around the world. The president’s record speaks for itself.”
As for Biden’s health, Ian Brzezinski, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think tank, said Biden needs to use the summit to “dramatically reverse” the impression left by his poor performance in the debate.
Brzezinski said, “It’s an excellent opportunity for him to show dynamic leadership, to emphasize his commitment, the administration’s commitment, and the Congress’s commitment to NATO, and to emphasize that it’s he who has made NATO so successful.”
