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Read Alex and JONATHAN LEMIRE’s full story.įurther reading: How Ukraine lost its battle for a NATO membership commitment, by Lili, Alex and Laura. One reason for the newfound gratitude was the commitment by members of G-7 nations, including the United States, to long-term military and economic assistance for Ukraine including weapons, training and reconstruction funds.Īnd Zelenskyy said before a bilateral meeting with Biden today, when prompted by a question from POLITICO, “we have great unity from our leaders and the security guarantees - that is a success for this summit.” He called the outcomes of the summit “a significant security victory” for Ukraine while reiterating an invitation to join NATO was the preferred deliverable. Zelenskyy, however, unexpectedly reversed course on the second and final day. That enraged Ukrainian President VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY, who hours before arriving in Vilnius Tuesday blasted the language as “ unprecedented and absurd” - a broadside that threatened the unity Biden and his team hoped to exhibit in Vilnius. “We will be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the Alliance when Allies agree and conditions are met,” the joint statement read. NATO’s communiqué removed one hurdle to Ukraine’s hoped-for membership but didn’t delineate clear accession conditions or timelines. The biggest victory of all happened before the gathering even began, when Turkey on Monday ended its year-long blockade of Sweden’s entreé into the alliance, paving the way for the military bloc to welcome its 32nd member.īut Biden’s victory lap was marred by a tense middle portion of the summit. The president’s apparent good mood and optimistic outlook came hours after a NATO summit with undeniable wins. “Keep it up, keep going,” he rallied the crowd, packed tightly into a square flanked by the university’s yellow walls.ĭuring the speech, the crowd cheered at the word “NATO.” Right at the end, they chanted “U-S-A!” With nations working together with common cause, we can answer these questions,” he said. “The choices we make now are going to shape the direction of our world for decades to come. But Biden also used the opportunity to offer a clarion call for more cooperation among nations to address challenges like climate change, poverty and economic inequality. The president’s address was a paean to NATO and the transatlantic security architecture he has toiled to strengthen since well before the invasion began.

Before the president walked on stage, a group could be heard chanting Slava Ukraini (glory to Ukraine).

Our unity will not falter, I promise you,” he told a crowd of 10,000 American- and Ukraine-flag-toting onlookers who gathered at Vilnius University. “The defense of freedom is not the work of a day or a year. He pushed for the protection and promotion of global democracy not just in Ukraine against VLADIMIR PUTIN’s Russia, but also well into the future to keep dictators and other global threats at bay. Standing in the heart of a capital of a former Soviet republic, Biden boasted that democracies who champion freedom against authoritarianism’s creep have held strong, even in the face of the largest land war in Europe since World War II. He used his last moments here to rally NATO allies and the world’s democracies to stick together as Russia’s war on Ukraine extends beyond 500 days. VILNIUS, Lithuania - Boy, does President JOE BIDEN love talking about democracy and freedom. With help from Laura Kayali, Cristina Gallardo, Lili Bayer, Hans von der Burchard and Daniel Lippman Speaking at Vilnius University, President Joe Biden boasted that democracies who champion freedom against authoritarianism’s creep have held strong.
