VILNIUS, Lithuania — President Biden ridiculed a reporter Wednesday by saying that Ukraine would join NATO “an hour and 20 minutes” after the end of its war with Russia and mockingly calling the question “really insightful.”
Biden bristled at an American journalist at the conclusion of his public meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the annual NATO summit in Lithuania’s capital.
“How soon after the war would you like to join NATO?” a reporter asked Zelensky, who had criticized the Atlantic alliance for withholding an invitation to join until after the war.
Biden answered the question instead.
“An hour and 20 minutes,” the president, adding jeeringly, “You guys ask really insightful questions.”
The 80-year-old commander-in-chief is known for lashing out at journalists who pose questions he dislikes, and blasted the question after major news outlets focused heavily on his decision to skip a Tuesday dinner with NATO leaders, drawing fresh attention to his advanced age.
Biden and Zelensky met after the Ukrainian leader blasted NATO for its “absurd” decision to draft new language vaguely describing standards for Kyiv’s admission.
Zelensky on Wednesday said during an event with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that he wanted an invite for the “signal” it would send the Kremlin, even though he recognizes that “Ukraine cannot be a member nation of NATO as long as the war continues on our territory.”
Prominent US and UK officials had publicly warned Kyiv Wednesday that it should tone down the resentful rhetoric toward Western nations who are helping Ukraine in Europe’s biggest conflict since World War II.
“I think the American people do deserve a degree of gratitude from the United States government for their willingness to step up and from the rest of the world as well,” White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan said during a public forum in response to a Ukrainian activist who asked if Washington was “afraid of Russia” by slow-walking Kyiv’s aid requests.
“The United States of America has stepped up to provide an enormous amount of capacity to help ensure that Ukraine’s brave soldiers have the ammunition, air defense, the infantry, fighting vehicles, the mine clearing equipment and so much else to be able to effectively defend against Russia’s onslaught and to take territory back as well,” Sullivan added. “There has been a lot of conspiracy theorizing that simply is not based on any reality whatsoever.”
UK Defense Secretary Ben Wallace sounded a similar note to Sullivan, saying Ukraine had to show “doubting politicians in other countries that [support is] worth it.”
“Whether we like it or not, people want to see gratitude,” added Wallace, who recalled to reporters that Kyiv officials had presented him with a list of requests for materiel when he visited last year.
“You know, we’re not Amazon,” Wallace said, referring to the British government. “I told them that last year, when I drove 11 hours to be given a list.”
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak appeared to distance himself from Wallace’s comments during a joint news conference with Zelensky, saying the Ukrainian president had “expressed his gratitude for what we have done on a number of occasions.355
“I completely understand Volodymyr’s desire to do everything he can to protect his people and to stop this war, and we will continue to give him the support that he needs.”
“We were always grateful to the UK, prime ministers and the minister of defense because the people are always supporting us,” Zelensky chimed in. “I didn’t know what he meant and how else we should be grateful. Maybe the minister wants something special but we have wonderful relations.”