President Joe Biden said the fate of democracy would be determined by decisions made by the US and its allies in the coming years, as he championed diplomatic breakthroughs at this week’s NATO summit and sought to implicitly bolster his reelection prospects.
“The defense of freedom is not the work of a day or a year. It is the calling of our lifetime,” Biden said Wednesday in a speech capping a two-day meeting of leaders from the military alliance.
The summit proved a test of Biden’s devotion to diplomatic engagement. Before leaders arrived, Turkey suggested it wouldn’t move forward with Sweden’s application to join the alliance if its own bid to join the European Union wasn’t accepted. And Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy sent shockwaves through the gathering when he tweeted that intentionally vague compromise language surrounding Ukraine’s own NATO bid was “unprecedented and absurd.”
Earlier: NATO to Offer Ukraine Fast Path to Join When Conditions Met
But by the time Biden took the stage at Vilnius University, to an estimated crowd of nearly 10,000 cheering Lithuanians and pumping music, he was able to champion an agreement brokered between Turkey and Sweden that will see the addition of the alliance’s 32nd member. Zelenskiy, for his part, backtracked from his harsh criticism, thanking Biden in a meeting hours earlier for brokering new security guarantees from Group of Seven nations and labeling the summit a “success.”
As Biden heralded those accomplishments in a 20-minute speech to an outdoor audience that waved Lithuanian, Ukrainian and US flags, his argument appeared directed more toward Americans at home.
“We face a choice, a choice between a world defined by coercion and exploitation, where might makes right or where we recognize that our own success is bound to the success of others,” he said.
“We understand that the challenges we face today - from the existential threat of climate change, to building a global economy where no one gets left behind — are too great for any one nation to solve on their own,” said Biden. “And that, to achieve our goals and meet the challenges in this age we have to work together.”
The success of his reelection bid will largely hinge on the state of the economy, with US voters battered by recession fears. Biden though focused on the global challenges to the US and democracy on Wednesday, seeking to present himself as a steady and experienced foreign policy hand, even as voters express doubts about his health and fitness to serve a second term.
Biden has made protecting democracy a centerpiece of his presidency and reelection, repeatedly highlighting what he says are ongoing threats to free and fair elections in the US from his predecessor Donald Trump and the former president’s supporters. And he has touted NATO’s unity behind Kyiv as a major accomplishment to protect democracy abroad, working to resolve differences among allies as Russia’s invasion nears the 18-month mark and the humanitarian and economic impacts of the war grow.
Unified Allies
Biden on Wednesday lauded fellow NATO members for their support of Ukraine, which include fresh commitments for weapons to aid Kyiv in an ongoing offensive to retake territory and the prospect of military protection from the US and allies in the future. The president credited the success of the NATO summit to US engagement, tireless diplomacy and allied aid, which he said would strengthen security both for Ukraine and its allies.
“Our unity will not falter, I promise you,” Biden said, a day after the tensions with Zelenskiy, who had threatened to not come to the summit.
Republican presidential candidates have seized on wariness over the cost of the war, arguing they could reduce the bill for taxpayers or better influence Russian President Vladimir Putin. A record-high 44% of Republicans and GOP-leaning independents say the US is giving too much aid to Ukraine, according to a Pew Research survey released last month.
Trump, the frontrunner for the GOP nomination, on Tuesday criticized Biden for his decision to provide Ukraine with cluster munitions, a source of contention among NATO allies, some of whom have banned the weapons because of the danger they pose to civilians.
“Joe Biden should not be dragging us further toward World War III by sending cluster munitions to Ukraine—he should be trying to END the war and stop the horrific death and destruction being caused by an incompetent administration,” he said in a statement.
Still, polls show Biden’s approach to the war largely popular among both his base and swing voters. A plurality of Americans surveyed by Pew approved of his response and believed the US was providing the right amount of aid to Ukraine.
Biden’s reelection was never far from mind during the summit.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan lifted his opposition to Sweden’s membership as Biden pledged to increase military cooperation and reiterated support for the sale of US-made F-16 fighter jets to Ankara.
During a meeting Tuesday, Erdogan joked they would need five years to complete the “new process” they were launching and wished Biden luck in the election.
“Thank you very much,” Biden responded with a grin. “I look forward to meeting with you the next five years.”
--With assistance from Jenny Leonard.
(Updates with additional details, background from 10th paragraph)
