A two-day NATO summit is at the end of the road. The official meeting is over, and at the top of the agenda was the war in Ukraine. On Wednesday evening, US President Joe Biden spoke to a large audience in Lithuania’s capital, Vilnius. Lithuanians fly American and Lithuanian flags. Photo: YVES HERMAN / Reuters – We are celebrating 100 years of diplomacy between the USA and the Baltic countries. We never recognized the Soviet occupation, he said, to a cheering crowd. The American president criticized Russia, saying that the country could end the war at any time, but that they would rather not do so: – In the course of almost a year and a half, Russian forces have committed unimaginable crimes, he says. – When Putin, with his cowardly desire for land and power, unleashed his brutal war against Ukraine, he bet that NATO would collapse. He thought that our common bond would break when we were put to the test. He believed that democratic leaders were weak. But he was wrong. An engaged American president speaks to a jubilant audience after the NATO summit in Lithuania today. Photo: Reuters A strong NATO A clearly optimistic Biden then asks his allies to never give up, and to work together to achieve common goals, and to create the world we want to have. He characterized the relationship between the US and Europe as an anchor for global stability: – NATO is stronger, more energetic, more united than ever. Although the topics at the summit have been heavy, Foreign Minister Anniken Huitfeldt was able to report a good mood among the allies. Photo: Nato Biden looked back to the start of the invasion, and praised Nato, which supported Ukraine from the start: – We tried diplomacy with Russia. And when Russian bombs started falling, we did not hesitate to act. Furthermore, a satisfied Biden summed up the highlights from the meeting: – During the last few days, as president of the United States, I have had the pleasure of participating in a historic NATO summit in Lithuania. There we wished Nato’s newest member, Finland, welcome, and we agreed to get Sweden into the alliance as quickly as possible. Biden expressed great optimism during his speech. Photo: PETRAS MALUKAS / AFP Biden ended his speech by saying that he had never before in his career had such optimistic future prospects. Call climate the biggest threat Although Ukraine has been the main focus in recent days, the NATO countries have also held a climate meeting in Vilnius. Biden singled out climate as the greatest threat to the human race: – It is only by standing together that we can protect our future, and the future of our children and grandchildren. Praise for Erdogan Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan also received American praise for keeping his word when they included Sweden in the defense alliance. For over a year, Erdogan has blocked the Swedish application. But one day before the official NATO summit began, Sweden and Turkey agreed on an agreement. One of the highlights was that Erdogan lifted the blocking of Swedish NATO membership. Photo: Nato Ukraine in Nato Ukrainian NATO membership is among the things that have been linked to great tension in the run-up to the meeting. But Biden has said that the war in Ukraine must end before NATO membership can be considered. Joe Biden promises that the US stands by Ukraine’s side, and will continue to send military equipment as long as the country is at war. Photo: LUDOVIC MARIN / AFP Zelenskyj’s goal before the meeting was to find out when Ukraine will be allowed to join NATO, but says that he understands that this cannot be done when the country is at war. There have nevertheless been assurances that Ukraine is a close partner of NATO, and that the defense alliance will continue to support Ukraine in the war, until peace is reached. Hear also:
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