President Biden is internet hosting the NATO secretary common, Jens Stoltenberg, on the White Home on Tuesday afternoon to debate long-term technique in Ukraine and who will oversee the 31-member army alliance transferring ahead.
The go to comes throughout a vital time for the Western alliance, as Ukraine mounts a counteroffensive to regain territory claimed by Russia and as NATO members put together for a summit subsequent month in Vilnius, Lithuania. The White Home has additionally in latest weeks confronted questions over whom Mr. Biden helps as a successor for Mr. Stoltenberg, who has led the alliance since 2014 and is predicted to step down in September.
“The president believes that whoever is the secretary common of NATO must be a person who your complete alliance can get behind and lead the alliance into the long run, as a result of there’s a transformative future forward of the alliance,” John Kirby, a spokesman for the Nationwide Safety Council, stated on Monday. “Every time this struggle ends, nevertheless it ends, NATO goes to be completely different.”
Varied nations are jockeying for their very own officers to succeed Mr. Stoltenberg and Mr. Biden’s opinion brings appreciable weight since the US spends greater than another member of the alliance on protection.
Whereas the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, was visiting Washington final week, Mr. Biden was requested whether or not it was time for a British official to steer NATO. “That is still to be seen,” he stated.
Mr. Biden additionally not too long ago met with Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark and one other potential contender for the place.
The assembly with Mr. Stoltenberg was initially scheduled for Monday, however Mr. Biden needed to postpone it for a day so he might have a root canal.
The assembly additionally comes as some Republican members of Congress debate how — or whether or not — to supply future U.S. help to Kyiv. Mr. Biden has stated the US is dedicated to aiding Ukraine.
“We’re persevering with to speak to the Ukrainians about a few of their long-term protection wants and what that should seem like,” Mr. Kirby stated on Monday, noting that even after the struggle ends, “Ukraine goes to have legit safety wants with a protracted border with Russia.”
