The visit to Brussels, Belgium of President Biden represented a significant move from the White House.
The President made the journey nearly two weeks ago to discuss important matters related to the invasion of Ukraine. The G7 Summit was held in the NATO headquarters in the capital. Biden’s main goal was to emphasize the dire situation that is going on in Ukraine. President Biden summarized the sanctions and backlash from the international community that Russia had to deal with since the invasion.
President Biden started off in the NATO Summit by recapping the three main unity objectives that were in place since the invasion of Ukraine.
The first key point was that military aid and humanitarian sponsors have been one of the main supports to the Ukrainian people. The second objective that he recapped is that sanctions were put in place against the Russian economy. This type of action would cripple the economy of Russia by hindering its ability to further deploy its military ambition.
The president’s final point was that the Eastern flank allies were fortified, due to the concerns and wariness of the Russian military. Biden remarked that these three main objectives have been fulfilled, and the plan is to build more actions if necessary.
Biden stated that America has made a commitment to give out over $1 billion dollars of humanitarian aid to Ukrainians. According to The White House, about one hundred thousand Ukrainian refugees will be offered entry to the United States to reunite with families.
President Biden started off in the NATO Summit by recapping the three main unity objectives that were in place since the invasion of Ukraine.
Anti-systems, Anti-armors and ammunition are reported to have been given to the Ukrainian government.
President Biden said that if chemical weapons were used by Russia, NATO will respond in military action if necessary to ensure the safety of the Ukrainian people. About $320 thousand will be invested to support democratic and human rights in Ukraine and neighboring countries.
Biden stated as well that his focus with the G7 and the help of the European Union is to ensure food and energy security. President Biden said that more than four hundred members of Russian elites that are aligned to the European Union will be sanctioned as well.
Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary and Slovakia are the new battle grounds for American troops if Russia were to attack. This is to support the NATO alliance. “NATO has never, never been more united than it is today. Putin is getting exactly the opposite of what he intended to have because of going into Ukraine.,” Biden said in his speech.
President Biden’s next stop was in Poland. He gave a speech for around 30 minutes. The royal castle of Warsaw was filled with somewhere between 750 and one thousand people—most of them were university students, politicians and local government officials that were attentive to the remarks that the President of the United States had to offer to the world.
Biden said that the war has been a failure for Russia, and that democracy will prevail in the long term. He continued that Poland has been a country that sought to embrace democracy despite the oppression of the Soviet Union in the past.
Eastern Europe has struggled to reach democracy, but the uprising of fighting for democracy has been carried out by brave citizens. In this part of the speech, President Biden expressed his support for the Ukrainian people. According to ABC News, Biden’s speech was focused on the historical facts that Russia was always the aggressor.
He emphasized his recognition that NATO is not a security threat to Russia. “NATO is a defensive alliance. It has never sought the demise of Russia,” Biden said. Biden stated that the United States, NATO and the European Union tried to reach an agreement with Russia to avert war at its full cost.
Joe Biden received some backlash from the international community for saying that Putin should not be in power. Some analysts warned that such wording of Biden’s comment could make the situation worse for the entire world. It could hinder the negotiations of getting Putin to ceasefire his military operations. Biden said, “For God’s sake, this man cannot remain in power.”
This type of comment made some politicians from Europe react. The Kremlin’s spokesperson, Dmitry Peskov, said to Reuters, “That’s not for Biden to decide.” He also said, “The president of Russia is elected by Russians.”
In an interview with RBC TV, Peskov said, “This speech—and the passages which concern Russia—is astounding, to use polite words.”
The French President Emmanuel Macron stated his concerns of Biden’s remarks of
President Putin. Macron said he had spoken to Putin on the phone and was unsure of the effects of Biden’s comments.
“I wouldn’t use this type of wording because I continue to hold discussions with President Putin,” Macron said to France 3 TV. The White House later clarified that Biden was not seeking a political change in Russia, nor he intended to overthrow President Putin out of office.
Overall, though the President did hope for a positive change in Eastern Europe after his trip, not much has changed.