(Washington) The summit marking the 75th anniversary of NATO ended Thursday in Washington with new commitments to Ukraine, but without managing to make us forget the age of its guest of honor, Joe Biden.
For nearly three days, the leaders of the 32 countries of the Atlantic Alliance have multiplied pledges of support for Ukraine in its war against Russia. “A great success,” the American president, 81, rejoiced Thursday evening during a particularly anticipated press conference.
Alas, just minutes earlier he had made a monumental blunder, announcing “President Putin” while welcoming Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Mr Zelensky, however, welcomed the package of military aid measures for his country, decided by the 32 NATO countries meeting at a summit in Washington since Tuesday. These are “very important decisions”, he stressed.
The physical capacity and mental freshness of the American president, candidate for re-election in November, have not ceased to haunt the corridors of the gigantic Convention Center where this NATO summit took place in Washington.
And the endorsements from a number of NATO leaders, from French President Emmanuel Macron to German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, have not been enough to erase questions about Joe Biden’s ability to lead his Democratic camp to victory in November.
“We all make slips of the tongue,” Mr. Macron told the press. “I saw, as always, a president who is in charge, in charge, precise on the issues, which he knows well,” insisted Mr. Macron, for whom the Washington meeting had above all allowed “important decisions” to be taken in favor of Ukraine.
The allies announced the imminent transfer of American-made F-16s, new air defense systems, a financial commitment of at least €40 billion in military aid, and the “irreversible” nature of Ukraine’s NATO membership trajectory.
” As soon as possible ”
Mr Zelensky, the summit’s guest of honour, said he hoped that the five air defence systems promised by NATO would arrive in Ukraine “as soon as possible”, recalling the deadly Russian strikes earlier this week that devastated a children’s hospital in Kyiv and killed 43 people across the country.
PHOTO OLEKSANDR RATUSHNIAK, REUTERS ARCHIVES
Earlier this week, deadly Russian strikes devastated a children’s hospital in Kyiv.
He also called on NATO countries on Thursday to lift restrictions on the use of their weapons on Russian soil.
“If we want to win, if we want to prevail, if we want to save our country and defend it, we have to lift all restrictions,” he said at a news conference alongside NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
Several NATO countries impose restrictions on the use of weapons they supply to Ukraine, which prevents it from striking Russian positions from which attacks on its cities and infrastructure regularly originate. These countries, like Germany, fear an escalation of the conflict with Russia. The United States has relaxed its restrictions, but without giving Ukrainian forces carte blanche.
PHOTO SAMUEL CORUM, ARCHIVES AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary General
“We are assessing on a daily basis” how far the Ukrainians can strike into Russian territory, Mr. Biden assured the press.
The Ukrainian president also said he was confident that his country would one day join NATO, even though the allied countries had not extended an invitation to it.
“We are doing and will continue to do everything in our power to ensure that the day comes when Ukraine will be invited and become a member of NATO, and I am confident that we will achieve this,” he said.
China’s aid
NATO leaders have also expressed concern about China’s assistance to Russia in its war against Ukraine.
They discussed the issue at a meeting with their Asia-Pacific partners on Thursday.
In an unusual statement, the allies expressed “deep concern” over China’s “decisive role” alongside Russia since its invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
NATO accuses China of supplying dual-use civilian and military equipment to Russia, such as microprocessors, which then allows it to manufacture weapons against Kyiv.
On Thursday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry hit back, denouncing a campaign of “prejudice, denigration and provocation” by the Allies.
On the sidelines of this summit, the White House announced that the United States would deploy, on an ad hoc basis, from 2026, new weapons in Germany, allowing strikes further away than the American systems currently positioned in Europe.
France, Germany, Italy and Poland also signed a letter of intent in Washington on Thursday on the development and production of long-range strike capabilities.
These announcements and the strengthening of NATO support for Ukraine were seen in Moscow as evidence of NATO’s “direct” engagement in Ukraine and a return “to the Cold War.”
Assassination attempt foiled
The United States and Germany earlier this year foiled a plot attributed to Russia to assassinate the CEO of a major German arms manufacturer supplying weapons to Ukraine, CNN reported Thursday.
Citing five unidentified US and Western officials, CNN said Washington informed Berlin of the planned assassination of Rheinmetall boss Armin Papperger and that he was provided with protection by German security services.
According to the channel, this plan is part of a series of Russian projects uncovered by American intelligence to kill executives of the European defense industry supporting the Ukrainian war effort against Russia.
Rheinmetall produces 155mm artillery shells and plans to start manufacturing armored vehicles in Ukraine, according to CNN.