Biden answered the question for Zelensky, Ukraine | NATO | Biden
According to comprehensive reports, on the 12th local time, US President Biden and Ukrainian President Zelensky held talks during the NATO Vilnius summit and delivered speeches supporting Ukraine.
Before the meeting between the two, a reporter on the scene asked Zelensky, "How long do you plan to join NATO after the war ends?" At this moment, Biden, who was sitting beside him, quickly replied, "One hour and 20 minutes, your question is very visionary."
When reporting on this incident, the Russian news agency stated that Biden jokingly answered the question for Zelensky.
Biden recently stated in an interview with US media that Ukraine is not yet ready to join NATO, and NATO can only consider accepting Ukraine after the Ukrainian crisis ends.
For a long time, Ukraine has been seeking to join NATO. During the Vilnius summit, NATO pledged to expand its support for Ukraine, and the G7 pledged to provide long-term security to Ukraine, including providing modern military equipment on land, sea, and air, training the Ukrainian military, intelligence sharing, and cyber defense assistance, but did not issue an invitation to Ukraine to join the treaty.
According to the Associated Press, Biden said at the end of the summit, "Zelensky now understands one thing - whether he joins NATO now or not, as long as there is a commitment to 'long-term security', it is not important. So he is not worried about this issue now."
At the closing ceremony of the NATO summit, Biden delivered a speech stating that the United States' commitment to Ukraine will not weaken. Biden also sought to unite NATO allies at the summit, using their "spirit of unity, common goals, and determination" in confronting Russia to address other issues facing NATO.
In response, The New York Times stated that Biden's speech seems to be preparing Americans and NATO allies for the potential prolonged Ukraine crisis.