Washington.- US President Joe Biden vowed to firmly defend Ukraine from a Russian invasion at a NATO summit in Washington on Tuesday, using the world stage to try to show his domestic and international allies that he can still lead.
Biden, 81, has endured 12 days of withering questions about his suitability for office as some of his fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill and campaign donors fear he will lose the Nov. 5 election following his disastrous performance in a June 27 debate.
“(Vladimir) Putin wants nothing less, nothing less, than the total subjugation of Ukraine… and to wipe Ukraine off the map,” Biden said, welcoming NATO member states to the summit, referring to the Russian president.
“Ukraine can and will stop Putin.”
The White House hopes he can turn the page on a difficult period in his presidency with his most high-profile policy speech since the debate, though some diplomats at the summit said the damage was hard to undo.
On Tuesday, Biden used a teleprompter and spoke in a strong, confident voice, largely avoiding the verbal slip-ups and signs of confusion that marked his debate performance.
Biden was framed by the gilded walls of the federal chamber where the treaty creating NATO was signed, and his speech was capped by stirring musical performances by the U.S. Marine Corps Band.
“NATO is stronger today than ever before in its history,” he said.
The US president has made restoring America’s traditional alliances abroad the centrepiece of his foreign policy after Trump challenged allies as part of an “America First” approach. The winner in November could have a substantial impact on the future of NATO, Europe and the rest of the world.
“We don’t see how he can come back after the debate,” said one European diplomat, who dismissed Tuesday’s speech as evidence of Biden’s resilience because it was scripted.
“I can’t imagine him leading the United States and NATO for another four years.”
Biden closed his remarks by surprising NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, placing the highest U.S. civilian award around the Norwegian politician’s neck and crediting him with revitalizing the 32-member alliance.
With information from AFP
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