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Jens Stoltenberg, the secretary common of NATO, praised the counteroffensive being mounted by Ukraine as he met with President Biden on the White Home on Tuesday to debate the long-term technique in Ukraine and future management for the 31-member army alliance.
“The assist that we at the moment are offering collectively to Ukraine is now making a distinction on the battlefield as we communicate,” Mr. Stoltenberg mentioned. “The offensive is launched, and Ukrainians are making progress, making advances. It’s nonetheless early days, however what we do know is the extra land Ukrainians are in a position to liberate, the stronger hand they’ll have on the negotiating desk.”
The go to comes throughout a vital time for the North Atlantic Treaty Group, as Ukraine tries to regain territory claimed by Russia and as members of the Western alliance put together for a summit assembly subsequent month in Vilnius, Lithuania. Forward of that assembly, Mr. Biden and Mr. Stoltenberg mentioned they have been targeted on making certain that every NATO ally met the alliance’s threshold of spending 2 p.c of its G.D.P. on protection.
“We’ve strengthened NATO’s jap flank, made it clear we’ll defend each inch of NATO territory,” Mr. Biden mentioned. “At our summit in Lithuania subsequent month, we’re going to be constructing on that momentum. I’m working to make sure that allies spend sufficient on their protection, the two p.c.”
Mr. Stoltenberg additionally praised Mr. Biden for a brand new $325 million support package deal that was introduced on Tuesday for munitions, weapons and tools for Ukraine. The White Home has additionally in current weeks confronted questions over whom Mr. Biden helps as a successor for Mr. Stoltenberg, who has led the alliance since 2014 and is predicted to step down in September. Mr. Biden has not but decided about whom to assist, the White Home press secretary, Karine Jean-Pierre, mentioned on Tuesday.
Neither Mr. Biden nor Mr. Stoltenberg took questions throughout the public portion of their assembly.
“The president believes that whoever is the secretary common of NATO needs to be a person who the complete alliance can get behind and lead the alliance into the longer term, as a result of there’s a transformative future forward of the alliance,” John Kirby, a spokesman for the Nationwide Safety Council, mentioned on Monday. “At any time when this warfare ends, nonetheless it ends, NATO goes to be completely different.”
Varied nations are jockeying for their very own officers to succeed Mr. Stoltenberg. Mr. Biden’s opinion brings appreciable weight as a result of america spends greater than some other member of the alliance on protection.
Whereas the British prime minister, Rishi Sunak, was visiting Washington final week, Mr. Biden was requested whether or not it was time for a British official to guide NATO. “That continues to be to be seen,” Mr. Biden mentioned.
Mr. Biden additionally lately met with Mette Frederiksen, the prime minister of Denmark and one other potential contender for the place.
The assembly with Mr. Stoltenberg was initially scheduled for Monday, however Mr. Biden needed to postpone it for a day so he might have a root canal.
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