President Joe Biden is urging the United States‘ European allies to continue supporting Ukraine as he prepares to leave office in January. Biden is currently in Germany, where he met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on Oct. 18. The four discussed Ukraine and the future of the expanding conflict in the Middle East.
The meeting follows the group’s one-on-one discussions with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy over the last several weeks, in which he privately laid out his plan for a Ukrainian victory in the ongoing war with Russia.
White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan told reporters on Air Force One on Oct. 17 that Biden would work with the three leaders to further ensure long-term support for Ukraine after he left office.
“What the president is trying to do is to make our commitment to Ukraine sustainable and institutionalized for the long term,” Sullivan said.
The meeting also comes just weeks ahead of the closely contested U.S. presidential election, which could result in drastic changes to U.S. foreign policy.
On one hand, Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee, has suggested continuing the United States’ current policy of providing security assistance to Ukraine and leveraging economic sanctions against Russia.
Republican presidential nominee and former President Donald Trump, meanwhile, has vowed to end the war as soon as possible and raised concerns that continuation of conflict could result in a world war between Russia and nuclear powers providing aid to Ukraine.
To that end, Washington’s NATO partners are making efforts to demonstrate their resolve to support Ukraine’s defense with or without U.S. might.
“Our position is clear: We are supporting Ukraine as strongly as possible,” Scholz said. ”At same time we are taking care that NATO does not become a party of war so that this war doesn’t culminate into an even bigger catastrophe.”
With future of U.S. support for Ukraine possibly NATO itself being questioned by some members like Hungary & Turkey who consider it deliberately provocative towards Russia; alliance’s European members have moved forward ensuring it can continue maintaining defense against Russian invasion by unveiling creation new command led by three-star general from Europe overseeing training & equipping Ukrainian troops & establishing an office for NATO representative stationed Kyiv deepening institutional relationship between alliance & country preparing it assuming responsibilities should eventually be admitted membership described previously bridge membership; however given hesitancy some nations like Hungary & Turkey engage what they consider deliberately provocative actions toward Russia unlikely garner necessary support anytime soon; Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that peace requires agreement from both sides including never joining NATO condition peace.