American President, Joe Biden, inaugurated North Atlantic Treaty Organization’s 75th anniversary summit on Tuesday with a powerful address aimed at strengthening confidence in both the alliance and his political standing.
According to New York Times, he emphasized the threats posed by Russia and other authoritarian states as the world enters a new phase of superpower conflict.
Biden, speaking confidently and clearly, reiterated key themes from his presidency, portraying NATO as a formidable and expanding alliance with a steadfast commitment to Ukraine amidst its conflict with Russia.
He announced a new pledge of weapons to aid Ukraine in defending against air attacks.
“The war will end with Ukraine remaining a free and independent country,” he stated, pledging to “defend every inch” of NATO territory across land, space, and cyberspace, and cautioning that President Vladimir Putin of Russia “won’t stop at Ukraine” if victorious.
The three-day event, held in the same gilded auditorium where the NATO treaty was signed in 1949, comes at a critical time for both Biden and the alliance.
Following a poor debate performance that jeopardized his reelection bid, Biden’s address, in which he has invested much of his historical legacy and campaign, was as crucial as his message.
Biden’s faltering campaign has also posed an unexpected challenge for NATO; maintaining the momentum in supporting Ukraine and deterring further aggression when confidence in its principal member is wavering.
Watched closely by leaders including Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who recently visited Putin and appeared to side with him on Ukraine, Biden was under intense scrutiny.
Despite this, he delivered a strong speech, aided by a teleprompter to avoid incomplete thoughts, inviting Americans to judge his performance and the allies’ reactions.
“Who’s going to be able to hold NATO together like me?” Biden asked in an ABC News interview with George Stephanopoulos, urging viewers to assess his leadership at the summit. The allied leaders were largely supportive, with Biden emphasizing the West’s “sacred obligation” to defend democracies under attack, contrasting sharply with former President Donald Trump’s “America First” approach.
To underscore the difference between Trump’s Republican Party and its earlier incarnation, Biden quoted former President Ronald Reagan, “If you are threatened, we are threatened. If you’re not at peace, we cannot be at peace.”
Biden’s goal was to position Trump as a threat to both NATO and the U.S. He received support from NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg, who proclaimed, “the time to stand for freedom and democracy is now; the place is Ukraine.” Biden honored Stoltenberg with the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Biden also announced new air defenses for Ukraine, including “hundreds of additional interceptors” to protect against missile attacks, and noted Russia’s heavy casualties. However, he did not address Russia’s territorial gains or the challenges Ukraine faces in retaining cities like Kharkiv.
Biden’s aides acknowledge that his summit performance, while critical, cannot erase the memory of his debate missteps.
As 38 world leaders convened, the key to the alliance—confidence in its core member—was in question, with some leaders already reaching out to Trump’s camp as a contingency.
“NATO has never been, and is not, and will never be, a given,” Stoltenberg remarked, emphasizing the need for political leadership and commitment. The summit’s opening event aimed to reinforce the alliance’s long-term bipartisan support, with a film highlighting the Cold War and the Berlin Wall’s fall.
Yet, NATO faces significant challenges in supporting Ukraine. Compared to last year, Kyiv’s position has deteriorated. A senior NATO official noted Russia’s battlefield advantage and sustained war economy, potentially extending its military support for years, while Ukraine waits for pledged weapons and aid to make a difference.
Putin is also relying on arms from North Korea and Iran and seeking deals with other countries, including China. Iran has provided drones and artillery and is building drone factories in Russia. This bolsters Putin’s hopes of exhausting Ukraine and diminishing Western support, especially if Trump is re-elected.
Despite 23 of 32 NATO states meeting the 2% GDP defense spending goal, allies acknowledge this is insufficient for the demands revealed by the Ukraine conflict.
Jake Sullivan, Biden’s national security adviser, emphasized the importance of how investments are made, given the multifaceted challenges NATO faces.
Biden did not call for new military spending targets, though Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen stressed the need for increased defense investment, criticizing past naivety about threats from Russia and China and agreeing with Trump’s push for European nations to spend more.
The U.S. continues to outspend all other NATO allies combined on defense, with Ukraine heavily reliant on American support.
