NATO Summit Ends With Promises to Ukraine, New Scrutiny of Biden

Date: 12 July 2024 - 23:25

News ID: ۱۲۹۳۱۵

WASHINGTON (Dispatches) - NATO allies made long-term pledges of support to Kyiv under an agreement called the Ukraine Compact, while the United States offered a comprehensive military aid package to help repel Russia.
As the NATO summit wrapped up in Washington, many leaders praised the alliance’s strength. But there was less consensus on how U.S. President Joe Biden had fared during the event, with his high-profile gaffes drawing attention away from policy.
NATO has pledged $43 billion in military assistance to Ukraine and guaranteed an ‘irreversible path’ for the ex-Soviet republic toward membership in the U.S.-led military alliance once the current war with Russia is over.
The binding assurance of protection was made after the 32-member bloc formally declared that it would ultimately grant Ukraine membership but only after the conclusion of the ongoing war.
The alliance also pledged to supply Ukraine with at least $43bn in military aid within the next year to boost its defenses against Russia.
NATO member nations, both individually and collectively in their summit statement in Washington, outlined measures to strengthen Ukraine’s defense. As part of the pledge to bolster Ukraine’s military, the United States, the Netherlands, and Denmark announced that Ukrainian military pilots would receive NATO-provided F-16s as soon as this summer.
Furthermore, NATO declared a lasting pledge of security aid to Ukraine and affirmed the creation of a new NATO center to ensure a consistent supply of weapons and training to Ukraine from the bloc’s members. This is while Kiev argues that these commitments do not provide the military capability necessary to defeat the Russian forces.
On Friday, President Joe Biden  faced more calls from fellow Democrats to abandon his re-election bid, following a news conference in which he delivered nuanced responses but occasionally stumbled over his words.
Joe Biden has mistakenly introduced Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky as “President Putin” in a new gaffe, further increasing concerns about his mental fitness ahead of the November presidential election.
The gaffe was made during a signing ceremony on the final day of a NATO summit in Washington on Thursday.
“Now I want to hand it over to the president of Ukraine, who has as much courage as he has determination,” Biden said at the end of his opening remarks.
“Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin!” he said, naming the Russian leader whose country has been engaged in a war with Ukraine since 2022.
While some leaders started clapping and others remained motionless and seemingly shocked, Biden returned to the microphone to acknowledge his mistake, saying, “President Putin! We’re going to beat President Putin. President Zelensky. I’m so focused on beating Putin. We’ve got to worry about it. Anyway, Mr President.”
It was unclear whether Biden’s performance would convince doubters in his party that he is their best bet to defeat Republican Donald Trump in the Nov. 5 election and serve another four-year term in the White House.
At least 17 congressional Democrats so far have called for him to drop out and allow the party to pick another standard-bearer, including some who announced their positions after the news conference on Thursday night.
Democrats are worried that Biden’s low public approval ratings and growing concerns that he is too old for the job could cause them to lose seats in the House and Senate, leaving them with no grip on power in Washington should Trump win the White House.
But Biden made clear that he did not plan to step aside.