NATO’s 75th anniversary summit | CNN Politics (2024)

President Joe Biden toasts with NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during a social dinner in the East Room at the White House on Wednesday, July 10.

President Joe Biden addressed NATO leaders and their spouses at a dinner he hosted at the White House Wednesday night, toasting the alliance and the shared ties between the alliance’s members.

“Jill and I are honored to have so many close allies and close friends all in the same room,” the president said, adding that “75 years ago, when our nations created NATO, former President Truman said and I quote, ‘What we’re about to do here is a neighborly act.’”

Biden was reading off a teleprompter but stumbled on his words slightly, saying “the allies in this room, not only share a common language, don’t share a common language, we do – not share common border, but we are neighbors. We’re neighbors, because we all share common beliefs.”

He toasted NATO and “our neighborhood of nations. May we continue to grow stronger and closer.”

Biden appeared attentive as Jens Stoltenberg gave his remarks, laughing at times and sharing a toast at the end of his remarks.

President JoeBiden, his wife JillBiden, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg and his wife Ingrid Schulerud stand with other NATO allies and partners during a ceremony ahead of a dinner at the White House on July 10.

President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer speak to reporters before a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office of the White House on Wednesday, July 10.

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President Joe Biden and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer riffed extensively about England’s Euro 2024 semifinal victory before their bilateral meeting at the White House on Wednesday.

“By the way, I heard,” Biden said, pausing briefly. The reporter interjected and said, “good news.”

“Good news is right I tell you what, it’s all because of the prime minister,” Biden quipped, to laughs.

“We’ve not lost a game under the Labor government,” Starmer added, before Biden turned the conversation back to the meeting.

In remarks to the press, which lasted about three minutes, Biden said he felt NATO leaders had a “very good meeting” and that the alliance is headed in the “right direction.”

Starmer congratulated Biden on a successful summit, and both leaders talked about Biden rewarding NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with the Presidential Medal of Freedom to open the summit on Tuesday.

The British prime minister described NATO as a “special relationship” which was “forged in difficult circ*mstances,” that is “stronger now than ever.”

Reporters shouted several questions at Biden about George Clooney saying the president should drop out of the 2024 race as they were escorted out of the room. Biden did not respond.

NATO leaders jointly affirmed Wednesday that “Ukraine’s future is in NATO” and its path is “irreversible,” as they pledged long-term support to Kyiv.

The leaders did not provide a specific timeline for Ukraine to join the defensive alliance. Instead, they said they would “be in a position to extend an invitation to Ukraine to join the when the allies agree and conditions are met.

The description of Ukraine’s path as “irreversible” comes after months of diplomatic negotiations in the lead up to the Washington Summit and was a point of contention among the allies. Prior to the release of the declaration, some diplomats had argued that it was not enough to just describe the path as “irreversible,” but that there must be strong support undergirding that description.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky is in Washington for the summit and has been participating in meetings.

NATO members on Wednesday agreed to set up a new cybersecurity unit aimed at warning military commanders of emerging hacking threats against the alliance.

The Integrated Cyber Defense Centre’s mandate will include sharing threat intelligence on cyber threats to private infrastructure that is “necessary to support military activities,” the alliance said in a statement. The center will be based at NATO’s military headquarters in Belgium.

NATO computer networks are regular targets for spies as well as criminal hackers. As the summit began this week, pro-Russia hackers claimed to have targeted NATO websites.

“In recent days, our cyber experts have detected a substantial increase in attempted hack and leak activities, claimed by various groups on the dark web,” a NATO official told CNN. “Similar events occurred during last year’s Summit so this does not come as a surprise.NATO’s classified networks have remained operational at all times.”

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer took a few minutes away from his high-stakes meetings at the NATO summit in Washington to celebrate England’s national team victory against the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semifinal.

Starmer posted a video on X of him watching some of Wednesday’s match with Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof in between NATO meetings.

In another tweet, Starmer said: “What a game @England and what a winner. Berlin here we come!”

England won the match 2-1 and advances to the final against Spain in Germany on Sunday.

Starmer will meet with Biden at the White House later Wednesday.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is escorted by Senate Sergeant at Arms Karen Gibson to a meeting with US Senators, on Wednesday, july 10.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said in a statement that Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky “was very clear in our meeting today: without US support, Ukraine will lose the war.” The Illinois Democrat also called for Congress to “continue to push for the resources, equipment, and flexibility necessary to prevail against Russian tyranny.”

Several Senate Republicans leaving the meeting argued that the Biden administration has slow-walked aid to Ukraine, and pressed for a quicker, expedited response to Ukrainian needs.

“They’re not in it to win it,” said Sen. Dan Sullivan. “We woredk hard to get the supplemental passed, and the weapons that these guys need get delayed by this administration.”

He added that the meeting, “was mostly about weapons systems and restrictions that the administration continues to place on these guys.”

Sen. Mike Rounds, agreed, and added that Zelensky and Ukraine “want some additional permission and agreement with the United States and our allies to be able to strike deeper across the border into – and attack those bases where aircraft are now stationed that are attacking and killing innocent men or women in Ukraine today.”

The F-16 fighter jets that are heading to Ukraine are expected to be operational by the end of the summer, White House National Security Council spokesperson John Kirbytold Fox News on Wednesday.

CNN previously reported that the US and allied countries are sending the jets, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has said are critically needed to counter the Russian military.

Kirby was also asked about the critical press conference Biden will give at NATO on Thursday. He said it would be “substantial.”

“I can’t give you a time certain but it will be a substantial press conference with multiple reporters and him by himself calling on them,” he said.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky meets with House Speaker Rep. Mike Johnson at the U.S. Capitol on July 10, 2024 in Washington, DC.

In a brief photo op with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, House Speaker Mike Johnson said he was invited by Zelensky to travel to Ukraine and though he would “like to” he said his schedule is very tough through the election.

“Well, we’d sure like to. The schedule is pretty tight through the election for us. So, it’s difficult to find a time to go but I would certainly like to,” Johnson said.

When asked repeatedly if he supports additional aid to Ukraine, Johnson refused to answer. “We’re gonna have a conversation here and not answer your questions,” he said before dismissing press.

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Poland's Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski, left, speaks with the Chief of the General Staff of the Polish Armed Forces Wieslaw Kukula, right, before the National Security Council gathering in Warsaw, Poland, on July 8.

“I’ll be satisfied when we win the war,” Polish Foreign Minister Radek Sikorski said Wednesday when asked by CNN if he’s satisfied by the language of the joint communique.

How strong of language to use in the communique, which must have consensus from all 32 NATO allies, was a point of contention in the negotiations. Initially, the US was opposed to the use of the word “irreversible,” but changed its position as long as it made clear that the path was contingent on Ukraine completing necessary reforms.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken addressed the matter earlier on Wednesday and acknowledged differences between the 32 NATO allies about the language of the joint communique but suggested that was to be expected.

“This is a democratic alliance and alliance of democratic countries. Different countries have slightly different views on some of these issues. And part of our responsibility is to proceed with consensus,” he said at the NATO public forum. “The greatest strength that we have, the most valuable currency we have as an alliance is our unity. But that unity doesn’t just happen. It’s the product of conversation. It’s the product of listening.”

President Joe Biden on Wednesday said NATO member countries must increase their industrial production to keep up with Russia’s manufacturing of weapons and munitions.

“We cannot allow the alliance to fall behind,” Biden said at the opening working session of the summit. He added that all NATO members are pledging to expand their industrial capacity.

“We’ll be able to produce more critical defense equipment more quickly,” Biden said. “And we may need it.”

Biden says the new manufacturing pledge sends a message to the world that “every NATO member is committed to doing their part to keep the Alliance strong.”

In a joint statement Wednesday, the governments of Germany and the United States announced they would begin “episodic deployments,” of the long-range missile capabilities from its Multi-Domain Task Force in Germany starting in 2026 “as part of planning for enduring stationing of these capabilities in the future.”

“When fully developed, these conventional long-range fires units will include SM-6, Tomahawk, and developmental hypersonic weapons, which have significantly longer range than current land-based fires in Europe,” the joint statement reads. “Exercising these advanced capabilities will demonstrate the United States’ commitment to NATO and its contributions to European integrated deterrence.”

The announcement comes as President Joe Biden has sought to reassure NATO allies about the United States’ commitment to the alliance—in remarks marking the strategic partnership’s 75th anniversary Tuesday, Biden called NATO “the single greatest, most effective defense alliance in the history of the world.”

Heads of state pose for a group photo during the NATO 75th anniversary celebratory event on July 10, 2024 in Washington, DC.

President Joe Biden participated in a family photo with other NATO leaders during the alliance’s Washington summit just after noon Wednesday.

The president briefly spoke to some of the leaders as he shook their hand, according to pool reports, but there were no public remarks.

Biden shook hands with the leaders - 31 in total - individually. Among the other leaders who participated were French President Emmanuel Macron, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán.

President Joe Biden has arrived to site of the NATO summit at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center, according to pool reporters traveling with the president, beginning a long stretch of critical foreign-policy meetings amid the most crucial week of his reelection campaign so far.

Biden will next welcome NATO leaders to the summit and participate in a photo op with them.

He then participates in a working session with the leaders.

Later, Biden will host a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Keir Starmer of the United Kingdom before hosting a dinner with NATO partners.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Wednesday indicated that Ukraine was “irreversibly” on the path to joining NATO as long as it continues reforms and suggested that it had only a short route to join the defensive alliance.

On the democratic front, Blinken said “the fact that NATO also requires as Ukraine moves irreversibly along the path to membership, that it continue reforms – that’s the strongest guarantee that the reforms that the Ukrainian people so strongly support will continue and will deepen.”

The top US diplomat acknowledged differences between the 32 NATO allies about the language of the joint communique but suggested that was to be expected.

“This is a democratic alliance and (an) alliance of democratic countries. Different countries have slightly different views on some of these issues. And part of our responsibility is to proceed with consensus,” he said. “The greatest strength that we have, the most valuable currency we have as an alliance is our unity. But that unity doesn’t just happen. It’s the product of conversation. It’s the product of listening. It’s the product is talking. It’s the product of building that consensus. And it gets reflected in these documents.”

Moreover, Blinken said that while “it’s important to look at the words…it’s even more important to look at the action.”

As CNN reported Monday, Ukraine’s path to NATO was described as “irreversible” in a draft of the NATO leaders joint communique. However, a senior European diplomat argued on Tuesday that “this irreversibility is very much reversible.”

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky delivers remarks at the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation and Institute as leaders from all member NATO states gather for the 75th NATO Summit on July 9 in Washington, DC.

Ukrainian President VolodymyrZelensky thanked the United States and other countries for their help in obtaining F-16s in a Wednesday statement on X.

“F-16s will also be used to bolster Ukraine’s air defense. I am confident that they will assist us in better protecting Ukrainians from brutal Russian attacks, such as this week’s strike on the Okhmatdyt children’s hospital in Kyiv. I anticipate that our air force capability coalition will be strengthened even further through the joining of new participants”

The Ukrainian government has long asked for F-16 fighter jets to help in its fight against Russia’s war. The first group of Ukrainian pilots trained on the fighter jets graduated earlier this year.

F-16 fighter jets have begun heading to Ukraine, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced Wednesday.

“I’m also pleased to announce that as we speak, the transfer of F-16 jets is underway, coming from Denmark, coming from the Netherlands. And those jets, those jets will be flying in the skies of Ukraine this summer to make sure that Ukraine can continue to effectively defend itself against the Russian aggression,” Blinken said at the NATO Public Forum in Washington, DC.

A joint statement from US President Joe Biden, Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof, and Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen confirmed the news.

Additional aircraft will be coming from Belgium and Norway, they added.

The Ukrainian government has long asked for F-16 fighter jets to help in its fight against Russia. The first group of Ukrainian pilots trained on the fighter jets graduated earlier this year.

Last year, the US gave the green light to European countries to train Ukrainians on the jets.

The announcement follows an announcement from Biden on Tuesday night about a new package of air defenses for Ukraine, including Patriot batteries.

President Joe Biden awards the Presidential Medal of Freedom to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg during the NATO 75th anniversary celebratory event at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium on July 9, in Washington, DC.

US President Joe Biden awarded the nation’s highest civilian honor toNATOSecretary General Jens Stoltenberg in remarks marking the alliance’s 75thanniversary Tuesday evening, gifting the Norwegian diplomat with the Presidential Medal of Freedom in a surprise ceremony kicking off this week’sNATOsummit.

“So much of the progress we made in the alliance is thanks to the secretary — he’s a man of integrity and intellectual rigor, calm temperament in a moment of crisis, a consummate diplomat who works with leaders across the political spectrum and always finds a way to keep his moving forward,” Biden said.

Last year, Biden asked Stoltenberg to extend his role asNATOsecretary general an additional year, citing Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. The former Norwegian prime minister has served in the role since 2014.

“I realized — I was talking to your wife, I personally asked you to extend your service, forgive me, that you put your own plans on hold — when the Russian war in Ukraine began, you didn’t hesitate,” Biden told Stoltenberg Tuesday.

Russia winning the war in Ukraine would “embolden other authoritarian leaders” in Iran, North Korea, and China,NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said on Tuesday.

“They all support Russia’s war. They all wantNATOto fail. So, the outcome of this war will shape global security for decades to come,” Stoltenberg said.

“The time to stand for freedom and democracy is now; the place is Ukraine,” he said.

President Joe Biden delivers remarks during the NATO 75th anniversary celebratory event at the Andrew Mellon Auditorium on July 9 in Washington, DC.

US President Joe Biden marked the75th anniversary ofNATOin remarks from Washington, DC, Tuesday, kicking off this week’sNATOsummit by issuing a stark warning of the global stakes if the partners were to walk away from the alliance.

Though the president did not directly address his opponent, former President Donald Trump — who has raised alarms within the alliance by suggestingRussia “do whatever the hell they want”to members who don’t meet defense spending targets — he did tout what he called “an overwhelming bipartisan majority of Americans” who he said “understand thatNATOmakes us all safer.”

“The fact that both the Democratic and Republican parties are represented here today is a testament to that fact — the American people know all the progress we’ve made in the past 75 years has happened behind the shield ofNATO,” he said. “The American people understand what happened if there was noNATO: Another war in Europe, American troops fighting and dying, dictators spreading chaos, economic collapse, catastrophe. Americans, they know we’re stronger with our friends, and we understand, this is a sacred obligation.”

Lawmakers from both parties, including Texas Republican Sen. Ted Cruz, Delaware Democratic Sen. Chris Coons, New Hampshire Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, and others were in the audience for Biden’s remarks.

He rebutted criticisms from Trump and his allies that partner nations don’t meet their defense spending obligation within the alliance, noting, “In the year 2020 — the year I was elected president — only nineNATOallies were spending 2% of their defensive GDP on defense. This year, 23 will spend at least 2%, and some will spend more than that, and the remaining countries that have not yet reached that milestone will get there soon.”

Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov meets with US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin at the Pentagon on July 2, in Arlington, Virginia.

Ukraine’s Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said Wednesday that the latest air defense support pledged to Ukraine will “significantly strengthen” its defense against Russia’s full-scale invasion.

US President Joe Biden on Tuesday announcedplans to supply new air defensesto Ukraine in a speech opening theNATOsummit.

The US, Germany, and Romania will each provide a Patriot battery of their own, while the Netherlands will work with other countries to enable an additional Patriot battery, each country announced in a joint statement. Meanwhile, Italy said it will also provide a SAMP-T long-range air defense system.

In addition to the long-range aerial defense systems, the US and other countries are also providing Ukraine with “dozens” of short- and medium-range systems to help Kyiv intercept Russian drones and missiles. The systems including NASAMS, HAWKs, IRIS T-SLM, IRIS T-SLS and Gepard systems. Canada, Norway, Spain, the UK and other countries will “play an integral role” in providing the systems to Ukraine, while “many other supporters” will provide the interceptor missiles, the statement said.

“This will significantly strengthen our defense,” Umerov wrote. He also thanked numerous countries for providing the systems and interceptors.

“We are grateful to all the countries that have joined the Immediate Air Defense Initiative, which has raised more than $1 billion to support Ukraine’s air defense,” he wrote.