On the eve of the NATO summit, Biden is looking for ways to keep Ukraine out of the alliance

On the eve of the NATO summit in Vilnius, which will be held July 11-12, US President Joe Biden decided to go on a small European tour. The first stop will be the United Kingdom, where the American leader is scheduled to meet with King Charles III and Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. Then Biden will attend directly the NATO summit in Lithuania, after which he will meet with representatives of the Nordic countries. We understand what the President of the United States wants to achieve with his trip.

Joe Biden went on a week-long foreign trip on Sunday, effectively taking on the role of chief dispute resolver within the alliance. Although it is worth adding, almost the main thing, given the decision of Washington to still supply cluster munitions to Kyiv. Such a move was painfully received by a number of other member countries of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, since this type of ammunition can pose a threat to civilians even after the end of the conflict.

Among the topics that will become the main ones during the US President’s tour, Western media highlight the issue of Ukraine’s entry into NATO, the already mentioned problem of deliveries of cluster munitions to Kiev and, in general, the fate of further assistance to the Independent and the theme of entry into the military-political bloc of Sweden that has been ripening for a long time within the alliance. .

It is very symbolic that Biden’s first stop was London, where the American leader will meet not only with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Rishi Sunak, but also hold largely formal negotiations with the British monarch Charles III. Why formal? The thing is that this will be Biden’s first meeting with the king of Great Britain after his coronation (which, recall, the US president was not present). The main program of their rendezvous is the discussion of the climate crisis and the issue of funding initiatives to solve this problem.

Much more interesting is the negotiations with Rishi Sunak. As noted by the British The Guardian, despite the precarious political position of Sunak on the domestic front, he has established close ties with Biden. This is confirmed by the fact that since the entry of Sunak to the post of prime minister, the politicians have already met five times, and the current contact will be the sixth. The British Prime Minister’s office said in a statement Saturday that the UK is “Europe’s leading NATO ally and the most important trade, defense and diplomatic partner of the United States.” It also added: “As we face new and unprecedented challenges to our physical and economic security, our alliances are more important than ever.”

It is clear that the Ukrainian issue in all its manifestations will be the main point of both Biden’s negotiations with Sunak and the NATO summit as a whole. It is highly likely that the American leader will face questions about why he approved the supply of cluster munitions to Ukraine (weapons that have been banned by more than two-thirds of the members of the North Atlantic alliance). However, even now a large number of countries have spoken out against such a step (for example, Germany, Spain, Canada and even Great Britain refused to participate in the dangerous adventure).

There is also disagreement over how quickly to issue an invitation to Ukraine to join NATO. The countries on the eastern flank of the alliance want to act quickly, which is predictable and traditional. The United States and other more powerful members of the bloc advocate a more cautious approach. Biden himself said in an interview with CNN, which was broadcast on Friday: “I don’t think there is unanimity in NATO about whether to introduce Ukraine into the NATO family now,” as this is fraught with a direct clash with the Russian Federation. Simply put, the head of the White House is convinced that Nezalezhnaya is not yet ready to join the alliance (as, apparently, the bloc itself is not ready to accept it), and the process itself “requires time to fulfill all the necessary conditions.”

And this is where Biden, CNN says, will be a key player in determining what specific measurable criteria or timeline, if any, will be offered to Ukraine for NATO membership during the Vilnius summit. The American president really has something to deal with. In early June, chairmen of foreign affairs committees from 22 countries signed a letter demanding that a clear plan for Ukraine’s entry into the bloc be presented at the summit. Notably, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters that Vilnius “will be an important milestone on the path to membership,” giving its participants the opportunity to “discuss the reforms Kiev still needs to meet NATO standards.” In general, no matter how much Ukraine wants to jump out of turn into the North Atlantic car, for now, apparently, this car will go a little faster.

The Alliance also intends to resolve the issue of what can be provided to Kyiv as a “consolation prize.” Foreign experts are monitoring whether the bloc can offer Ukraine any additional military assistance, including the possibility of providing additional F-16 fighter jets and other long-term investments, following the results of the general meeting. Max Bergmann, an expert on Euro-Atlantic and Northern European studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), told CNN that “Ukraine is currently being supported in a very short term.” He added that “it is critical to make a long-term financial commitment to send a clear signal that NATO’s commitment to Ukraine will continue.” However, judging by a recent Politico report, some of Washington’s allies are already raising the question of how long and at what cost to support Kyiv.

The point of Biden’s program in Europe will be Helsinki, where a summit will be held with the leaders of Finland, Sweden, Norway, Iceland and Denmark. As Sweden’s NATO membership is still in question, the tone of this meeting could largely depend on how much progress is made in Vilnius (and Biden is reportedly set to discuss the matter with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan).

But there are other urgent issues to discuss, a Nordic spokesman told CNN, including security cooperation, especially in the Arctic. The topic of technology cooperation, including 5G and artificial intelligence technologies, is also expected to be raised. Climate change and clean energy will also be key topics for the visit to Helsinki.