Biden claims that Ukraine is not prepared to join NATO.
Biden claims that Ukraine is not prepared to join NATO.
In an interview that was broadcast on Sunday, Vice President Joe Biden stated that Ukraine was not prepared to become a member of NATO and that it was “premature” to begin the process that would allow Ukraine to join the alliance while the country was in the midst of a conflict.
Mr. Biden stated, during an interview with CNN’s Fareed Zakaria, that he did not “think there is unanimity in NATO about whether or not to bring Ukraine into the NATO family now,” and that the process could only begin until a peace accord had been reached with Russia.
Mr. Biden stated, in reference to the pledge of the alliance to provide for each other’s defence, that “If the war is going on, then we are all in war.” If it were the true, then we would already be at war with Russia. In addition, he mentioned that there would be “other qualifications that need to be met, including democratisation,” in order for Ukraine to be taken into consideration for membership.
The president started a journey to Europe on Sunday, which will involve attending a NATO meeting in Lithuania. The primary topic of discussion at the summit will be Russia’s conflict in Ukraine, as well as a decision made by the United States to provide Kyiv with weapons that are prohibited by the majority of its partners. This decision was made last week.
During the interview, Mr. Biden mentioned that he had cautioned President Xi Jinping of China about developing an unhealthy relationship with Russia. He went on to say that when the Chinese leader had met with Vladimir V. Putin, the President of Russia, in March, Vice President Joe Biden called with Mr. Xi and reminded him that a large number of American companies had moved out of Russia since the conflict began.
“He didn’t argue,” Mr. Biden remarked. “And if you notice, he has not gone full-bore” on Russia, the statement continues.
Mr. Biden also defended his choice to send cluster bombs to the Ukrainian government, despite the fact that many of the United States’ closest allies do not permit their use. He said it was a tough decision, but with artillery supplies depleting, it was a choice between delivering the guns or leaving Ukraine defenceless. He said it was a choice between supplying the weapons or leaving Ukraine defenceless.
Mr. Biden stated that “it was a very difficult decision on my part,” adding that he had talked the matter “with our allies, I discussed this with our friends up on the Hill.” “The Ukrainians are rapidly running out of ammunition.”
At the NATO summit, one of the key topics that will be discussed is Sweden’s interest in becoming a member of the alliance. Despite objections from Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Vice President Biden said he was “optimistic” that Sweden was getting closer to admittance into the group after meeting with the Swedish prime minister last week. Mr. Biden also met with the Swedish prime minister. (However, Mr. Erdogan does favour the accession of Ukraine; he stated on Saturday, with President Volodymyr Zelensky of Ukraine at his side, that “Ukraine deserves NATO membership with no doubt.”)
Mr. Biden “conveyed his desire to welcome Sweden into NATO as soon as possible,” according to a readout of their conversation released by the White House on Sunday following Mr. Erdogan’s chat with Mr. Biden. In addition to this, the leaders “expressed their shared commitment to continue supporting Ukraine.”
During the course of the conversation, Mr. Biden, who is 80 years old and is seeking re-election, addressed some of the issues that have been raised regarding his age.
Mr. Biden stated, “I think we’re putting the world together in a way that is going to make things significantly, how can I say it, more secure for people.” “I think we’re putting the world together in a way that is going to make things significantly” “All I want to do is wrap up this project. And I believe that we will be able to do it within the next six years.
