WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden sought to deflect criticism of the NATO military alliance from rival Donald Trump in a speech Tuesday, arguing that the United States should abandon its commitments to its allies in the pact.
In the opening speech of the NATO summit in Washington, Biden noted that, under his observation, the number of NATO member countries spending 2% of the gross domestic product on defense increased from 9 to 23. Trump has often argued that by pressuring his allies to spend more on defense, he is protecting American taxpayers from shouldering too much of a burden.
Biden didn’t mention Trump by name, but his message was clear: For all Trump’s rants about NATO countries not shouldering the financial burden, more countries have met their budget targets since he left.
“The rest of the countries that have not reached this stage will soon get there,” Biden said.
Biden appeared at the ceremony held on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of NATO. He spoke before the towering Doric columns of the Mellon Auditorium, the same building where the leaders signed the treaty establishing NATO in 1949.
The summit comes at a tense political moment in the US, with his re-election bid at stake. Uncertainty over its political future is an unexpected challenge as it hosts allied leaders. As his colleagues from the other 31 NATO countries gathered for the summit, another Democrat, Representative Mickey Sherrill of New Jersey, stepped forward and called on Biden to withdraw his candidacy.
Biden’s lackluster performance during the June 27 debate with Trump drew attention to his sharpness and ability to project his strength on the national and global stage. He delivered his 15-minute speech more forcefully than he had ever displayed during any incomprehensible gibberish and debate.
He targeted Russian President Vladimir Putin and suggested that Putin’s war against Ukraine was destructive for his people.
“Make no mistake,” Biden said. “Russia is failing in this war. About one million Russians, most of whom are young, have left Russia because they do not see a future in Russia.”
The fate of Ukraine may depend on the outcome of the presidential race. Trump has said he would end the war quickly if elected, but that pledge has fueled fears that his proposed peace deal will favor Putin.
For his part, Biden defended Ukraine from the beginning.
“Putin’s war of aggression against Ukraine continues, and Putin wants nothing, he wants nothing more than the complete subjugation of Ukraine,” Biden said.
He added that Putin’s goal is to “end Ukraine’s democracy, destroy Ukrainian culture, and wipe Ukraine off the map. And we know that Putin will not stop in Ukraine. But make no mistake: Ukraine can and will stop Putin.”