Nato summit DC: Live updates

1 year ago

Biden ends press conference after one hour, multiple flubs

From Christian Datoc

President Joe Biden has ended his Thursday evening press conference on the outskirts of the NATO summit in Washington, D.C.

Biden fielded questions from 11 reporters, including three from foreign press outlets, in what his team had hoped would be an opportunity to quiet critics within his own party calling for him to exit the race.

Still, reporters on social media quickly picked up on a number of gaffes the president committed, including mistakenly referring to Vice President Kamala Harris as “Vice President Trump.”

1 year ago

Biden voices disappointment with some Israel-Gaza moves

From Christian Datoc

President Joe Biden voiced some disappointment with how his policies have been carried out relating to Israel’s war in Gaza.

The president specifically pointed to a temporary pier the United States constructed to help funnel humanitarian aid into Gaza and other things he “put forward” that “have not succeeded as well.”

Ultimately, Biden said that all he can do is pursue a protracted ceasefire and eventual two-state solution.

1 year ago

Foreign Affairs Chairman McCaul urges Democratic leaders to get Biden to ‘step aside’

From Mike Brest

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul (R-TX) called on Democratic Party leaders to “make” President Joe Biden “step aside” for national security purposes.

Biden has faced frequent calls to end his reelection campaign in the two weeks since the first presidential debate, and his Thursday evening press conference following the conclusion of the NATO summit was considered a potentially pivotal moment for the party.

“This is the person who has first-strike capabilities with our nuclear arsenal,” McCaul told the Washington Examiner. “We are continuing to send a powerfully dangerous signal to our adversaries that the commander in chief is not in control of his faculties. The emperor has no clothes, and if he won’t step aside other senior leaders in the Democratic Party need to stand up and make him — for the security of our nation.”

Biden accidentally called Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky “President Putin,” during an event prior to the press conference, and he then called Vice President Kamala Harris “Vice President Trump.”

1 year ago

WATCH LIVE: Biden holds NATO press conference

From Conrad Hoyt

President Joe Biden is holding a NATO press conference, his first press conference with questions in months.

The conference was originally scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. EDT but was pushed back several times. It is a high-stakes moment for the president as questions about his mental state and ability to lead hover above the Democratic Party.

1 year ago

Biden takes stage for press conference following NATO summit

From Christian Datoc

President Joe Biden capped the Washington, D.C., NATO summit with a press conference Thursday evening, his first time fielding extensive questions from reporters following his 2024 debate with former President Donald Trump.

The president took the stage just before 7:30 p.m. Eastern, two hours past the originally scheduled start of 5:30 p.m. Eastern. White House officials had indicated they expected the president to field six to seven questions over a roughly half-hour period.

1 year ago

Biden introduces Ukraine’s Zelensky as ‘President Putin’

From Naomi Lim

With the eyes of domestic and international press on him at the 75th NATO summit, President Joe Biden mistakenly introduced Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky as Russian President Vladimir Putin.

“Ladies and gentlemen, President Putin,” Biden told the crowd Thursday moments before his high-stakes press conference capping the summit.

Click here to read the full story.

1 year ago

Russia’s war in Ukraine could expand to Northeast Asia, South Korean president says

From Joel Gehrke

Russia’s war in Ukraine has the “potential” to fuel violence “on the Korean Peninsula and in the northeast Asian region,” according to South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol.

“At this moment, the security of both Europe and Asia is simultaneously under threat,” Yoon said Thursday in Washington, D.C. “The only way to block and thwart the attempts to change the status quo through coercion is for our allies and friends to stand together and united in overwhelming strength. It must be also made very clear that any reckless challenge will not only lead to failure but also result in greater suffering on their part.”

Click here to read the full story.

1 year ago

WATCH LIVE: Biden hosts event on Ukraine Compact

From Ross O'Keefe

President Joe Biden is set to host an event on the Ukraine Compact at 4:15 p.m. EDT during the closing hours of the Washington, D.C., NATO summit.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

The event will take place shortly before Biden is scheduled to give a solo press conference in which he will be scrutinized by the media and public while some Democrats call for him to step down.

Senate Democrats are expected to hold a caucus lunch at 12:30 p.m. to make their concerns known to Biden’s campaign officials.

1 year ago

Stoltenberg lays out case for NATO countries to loosen restrictions on Ukraine

From Mike Brest

NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg argued that countries that have provided military support to Ukraine should allow them to use those weapons to hit targets deep within Russian territory.

Over the course of the war, the U.S., among other NATO allies, have restricted Ukraine from using their weapons to hit targets within Russia, though the U.S. loosened those rules a couple months ago. There has long been a concern among western countries about Russian escalation.

“The right of self defense includes also the right to strike legitimate military targets on the territory of the aggressor, Russia,” Stoltenberg said during a Thursday afternoon press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, who has made the same argument for weeks.

1 year ago

Biden relies on notecards during brief remarks with Zelensky

From Mike Brest

President Joe Biden, who has facing a questions from within his own party about his fitness for office, read off notecards while speaking with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Thursday.

During the brief portion of their comments that were open to the press, the president read from a notecard in his hand.

“Today, I’m proud to announce a new security assistance package for Ukraine,” Biden said. “This will be the eighth package I’ve authorized since we’ve signed the national security bill.”

The president has been adamant in his refusal to end his reelection bid, the call of which largely began after his debate performance two weeks ago. He is set to hold a solo press conference Thursday evening to discuss the NATO summit and leaders from around the world will be watching his performance.

1 year ago

US announces new $225M aid package to Ukraine

From Mike Brest

The Biden administration announced a new military aid package for Ukraine on Thursday.

This aid package is meant to meet Ukraine’s most pressing needs, which are for air defense systems and interceptors; munitions for rocket systems, and artillery; and anti-tank weapons.

U.S. and other allies have announced several military assistance decisions — short and long-term ones — this week in coordination with the ongoing NATO summit.

The U.S. has provided Ukraine with more than $53 billion of security assistance since the beginning of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine back in February 2022

1 year ago

US, Canada, and Finland announce new pact focused on Arctic region

From Mike Brest

The United States, Canada and Finland announced that it has created a new trilateral partnership named the “Icebreaker Collaboration Effort” or ICE Pact.

The new pact will initially focus on a “collaborative effort to continue building best-in-class Arctic and polar icebreakers and other Arctic and polar capabilities in each of our respective countries by sharing expertise, information, and capabilities,” according to a readout from the White House.

The three countries, all of which are members of the NATO alliance, will then work over the next six months to establish a joint plan for them to build the vessels necessary to carry out their interests in the Arctic and Antarctic regions.

The U.S., Canada, and Finland intend to make icebreakers built in their countries available for allies and partners to purchase.

1 year ago

Italian PM Meloni spotted rolling her eyes while waiting for Biden and NATO chief to arrive

From Ross O'Keefe

Cameras spotted Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni crossing and rolling her eyes while she awaited President Joe Biden and NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg’s arrival at Thursday’s final NATO Summit session in Washington, D.C.

Meloni also checked her watch and gestured somewhere before distorting her face in an apparent look of disgust. The right-wing Meloni holds different political views to Stoltenberg and Biden, who have both participated in left-wing politics.

Biden is scheduled to speak to the nation in a press conference at 6:30 p.m. Thursday afternoon, an occasion much of the media is monitoring.

1 year ago

Ukraine pushes NATO to allow attacks on Russia’s key bases

From Joel Gehrke

Western restrictions on the use of Western weapons to strike Russian targets have made it “impossible to fight” effectively, according to a top adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

“The partners have to take off any restrictions to use these weapons, not just [on] Ukrainian territory but have the possibility to answer, including [on] the territory of Russia, because it’s impossible to fight,” Andriy Yermak, the head of the Ukrainian presidential office, told a public forum on the sidelines the NATO summit in Washington.

Click here to read the full story

1 year ago

Biden meets with Indo-Pacific allies on NATO sidelines

From Mike Brest

President Joe Biden met with the leaders of South Korea, Japan, New Zealand and Australia on the sidelines of the NATO summit on Thursday.

The meeting, which included President Yoon Suk Yeol of the Republic of Korea, Prime Minister Kishida Fumio of Japan, Prime Minister Christopher Luxon of New Zealand, and Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Richard Marles of Australia, is a part of NATO’s developing partnership with its pacific partners given the increased interconnectivity between European and Info-Pacific security.

“President Biden welcomed the growing contributions of NATO’s Indo-Pacific Partners to global security, including their investments in defense, support to Ukraine, and strong leadership in the Indo-Pacific,” the White House said in a read out of the meeting.

China and North Korea have aided Russia’s war aims in Ukraine, which the alliance views as its greatest challenge, further demonstrating the interconnectivity between both western allies and authoritarian adversaries.