1/3
July 12 (UPI) — President Joe Biden, while addressing a crowd in Lithuania, reassured the United States and NATO’s unwavering support for Ukraine in its fight against Russia’s invasion.
Biden, who held a meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky before his speech, acknowledged the resilience of the Ukrainian people in the face of a much stronger adversary like Russia.
Biden emphasized that NATO is currently more united than ever before. He highlighted Russian President Vladimir Putin’s miscalculated bet on NATO’s disintegration due to the war.
“He bet wrong,” Biden proclaimed, receiving cheers from the audience at Vilnius University. He also mentioned the expansion of NATO with the addition of Finland in April, and the potential inclusion of Sweden.
Biden commended Lithuania for its successful journey to independence after breaking away from the Soviet Union in the 1990s.
Regarding global challenges, the president asserted that climate change poses the greatest threat to humanity and called for collective responsibility in saving the planet.
Biden’s remarks were made during the second day of the crucial NATO summit, where Ukraine was put on the path to NATO membership and member states committed to allocating at least 2% of their GDP to defense.
Zelensky arrived in Vilnius for bilateral meetings with Biden, as well as leaders from Canada, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands, and Japan. The NATO allies unveiled a plan for Ukraine’s eventual integration into the alliance and pledged support for its defense against Russia.
“Our defense is of utmost importance, and I am grateful to our partners for taking new steps,” Zelensky tweeted. “More weapons for our warriors, more protection for the entire Ukraine. We will introduce new significant defense tools to Ukraine.”
Zelensky had an initial bilateral meeting with Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday.
“We are discussing security guarantees for Ukraine on its journey to NATO. We have Canada’s support, and the rest of the world will follow. We are preparing a crucial security victory for Ukraine,” Zelensky stated after the meeting with Trudeau.
“I am grateful to Justin and Canada for reinforcing our warriors with armored vehicles. We have reached impactful agreements.”
In his meeting with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, Zelensky announced a new agreement for Ukraine to receive more Patriot defense missiles from Germany.
“This is vital in protecting Ukraine from Russian terror,” Zelensky explained on social media. “We also extensively discussed long-term defense cooperation between Ukraine and Germany, including the operation of equipment repair hubs.
“I am grateful for Germany’s commitment to long-term, multi-year support for Ukraine and our defense of freedom. Long-term support programs send a strong signal to the world that our Europe will remain a region of security and peace.”
The meetings took place the day after NATO approved a package that sets Ukraine on the path to eventual NATO membership, a move Zelensky criticized as “absurd.”
The alliance also established the NATO-Ukraine Council, scheduled to convene its first meeting on Wednesday.
