President Biden is internet hosting the NATO secretary normal, Jens Stoltenberg, on the White House on Tuesday afternoon to focus on long-term technique in Ukraine and who will oversee the 31-member navy alliance transferring ahead.
The go to comes throughout a essential 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 House has additionally in current weeks confronted questions over whom Mr. Biden helps as a successor for Mr. Stoltenberg, who has led the alliance since 2014 and is anticipated to step down in September.
“The president believes that whoever is the secretary general of NATO should be an individual who the entire alliance can get behind and lead the alliance into the future, because there’s a transformative future ahead of the alliance,” John Kirby, a spokesman for the National Security Council, stated on Monday. “Whenever this war ends, however it ends, NATO is going to be different.”
Various nations are jockeying for their very own officers to succeed Mr. Stoltenberg and Mr. Biden’s opinion brings appreciable weight because the United States spends greater than some other member of the alliance on protection.
While 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 lead NATO. “That remains to be seen,” he stated.
Mr. Biden additionally lately 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 had 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 present future U.S. support to Kyiv. Mr. Biden has stated the United States is dedicated to helping Ukraine.
“We are continuing to talk to the Ukrainians about some of their long-term defense needs and what that needs to look like,” Mr. Kirby stated on Monday, noting that even after the conflict ends, “Ukraine is going to have legitimate security needs with a long border with Russia.”
