President Biden on Wednesday capped a three-day visit to Lithuania for the NATO summit vowing the U.S. and its allies would maintain a united front with Ukraine in the face of Russian aggression.
“We stand at an inflection point, an inflection point in history where the choices we make now are going to shape the direction of our world for decades to come. The world has changed. Will we turn back naked, unchecked aggression today to deter other world-would-be -aggressors tomorrow?” he said in remarks in Vilnius.
Biden spoke to a crowd of around 10,000 Lithuanians, foreign diplomats, members of the Belarusian opposition and others, all surrounded by and waving American and Lithuanian flags.
“We will not waver. I mean that,” Biden said. “Our commitment to Ukraine will not weaken. We will stand for liberty and freedom today, tomorrow, and for as long as it takes. We all want this war to end on just terms.”
“Our unity will not falter, I promise you,” he added.
The location of the president’s speech on Wednesday was symbolic, as Lithuania shares a border with Russia. Lithuania’s membership in NATO is seen as a critical deterrent to potential Russian aggression.
“Every day we have to make the choice, everyday we must summon the strength to stand for what is right, to stand for what is true, to stand for freedom, to stand together,” Biden said.
Biden’s address came at the conclusion of a NATO Summit that was dominated by talk of continued support for Ukraine in its war against Russia but also exposed tensions over what path Ukraine might have to join the alliance.
Zelensky on Tuesday expressed frustration about the skepticism from Biden and some other world leaders about Ukraine joining NATO, a move Biden has said should wait until after the war with Russia has ended. By Wednesday, Zelensky acknowledged Ukraine would not be able to join the alliance while the war was ongoing.
While the president didn’t mention Ukraine’s potential membership into NATO during his remarks, he highlighted that NATO members have an obligation to defend one another. Biden and other allies have warned that taking Ukraine into NATO at this time would mean all allies are at war with Russia.
“It is a sacred oath, an attack against one is an attack against all,” Biden said.
Biden noted that his meeting with Zelensky on Wednesday follows their other one-on-one meetings since the Russia invasion held in Washington, Kyiv, and Hiroshima. He also blamed Russia for not seeking an end to the conflict.
“One country cannot be allowed to seize its neighbors territory by force. Russia could end this war tomorrow,” he said. “Unfortunately, Russia has shown thus far no interest in a diplomatic outcome.”
The U.S. and its Group of Seven (G7) allies on Wednesday announced plans for security negotiations with Ukraine to ensure it had the military support it needed in the short-term and in the future to defer further Russian aggression.
The U.S. has provided billions of dollars in military and financial aid to Ukraine since Russia first invaded in February 2022. Biden last week announced the U.S. would send Ukraine cluster munitions, a controversial weapon outlawed by dozens of countries.
Biden opened his remarks acknowledging that NATO welcomed Finland and reached agreement on Sweden to join the alliance.
“President Erdogan kept his word,” he said, referring to the president of Turkey who on Monday agreed to not block Sweden’s membership into NATO.
And, he praised the people of Ukraine for this strength in the nearly year and a half since the Russian invasion, saying they “remain unbroken.”
“Ukraine remains independent, it remains free,” he said.
Biden also praised people of Lithuania and other Baltic nations for supporting Ukraine, saying the older citizens there know “better than anyone how precious the fight to determine your future is.”
“My message to all of you is keep it up, keep it going, keep reminding the world of hope that Lithuania embodies,” he said.