President Joe Biden skipped dinner with NATO leaders Tuesday night, instead heading straight to his hotel in Lithuania.
A US official blamed the 80-year-old president’s busy four-day schedule and said he was preparing for a “big speech” on Wednesday when asked why he wasn’t there.
Biden, who had only been in Europe since Sunday night and went to the beach on Saturday, allowed Secretary of State Antony Blinken to attend instead.
The president’s snub came after he told Turkish President Recep Erdogan that he would win re-election and work with him for the next five years.
Despite growing concerns about his health and age, he was confident about his chances in 2024. Biden would be 86 at the end of his second term.
President Joe Biden skipped Tuesday night’s dinner with NATO leaders, instead heading straight to his hotel in Lithuania after meeting Turkish President Erdogan
Erdogan thanked the US president for congratulating him after his own election – which saw a runoff that left some officials mulling a less strained relationship with Turkey after the latter used its strategic position to tighten ties to maintain Russia.
‘Thank you very much. “I look forward to being with you for the next five years, Mr. President,” Biden said.
Erdogan had described his meeting with Biden as a “step forward” and referred to his own five-year term.
“And in view of the upcoming elections, I would like to take this opportunity to wish you good luck as well,” Erdogan said.
Donald Trump regularly reiterated his allegiance to Erdogan during his visit to the White House.
“He’s a friend of mine and I’m glad we didn’t have an issue because honestly he’s a hell of a leader and he’s a tough man, he’s a strong man,” Trump said in 2019.
Biden and top advisers remained silent as reporters shouted questions after his meeting with Erdogan. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin and US White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan look on during a bilateral meeting
Turkey’s strongman was speaking on a day in which he achieved an important goal while also abandoning his opposition to Sweden’s admission – namely the procurement of F-16 fighter jets from the US
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters in Vilnius Thursday that Biden had previously “made it clear that he supports the transfer” of the Jets.
“He hasn’t made any reservations about that… He intends to go ahead with this transfer,” he said.
Officials were vague on further details, noting that the Greeks attended a final meeting on the matter. Biden himself mentioned the Jets in a recent CNN interview in connection with entering Sweden before leaving for London to begin his trip.
Biden remained taciturn after his comments, barely flinching when US reporters threw him a series of questions about the outlines of the deal that will bring Sweden to Russia’s eastern flank.
He pursed his lips as aides signaled the press event was over and escorted media representatives from the room where they were meeting.
Senate Majority Leader Richard Durbin, a Biden ally, spoke about the diplomatic breakthrough in Vilnius, telling that when Biden was sworn in, there was a “serious question” about the post-Trump alliance’s viability.
Durbin said an alliance that had “stalled” was now a “strong, viable and credible operation” with Finland as a member and Sweden wanting to join.
When asked if Biden would bring anything home, he replied, “He certainly is.” It’s significant. It’s historical.’
Earlier, Biden vowed to defend “every inch” of NATO territory as the powerful alliance took a major step toward absorbing its 32nd member.
The President spoke at the start of the summit in the capital, Vilnius, while his national security adviser, Jake Sullivan, said rumors of splits over support for Ukraine had been “greatly exaggerated”.
“As I said before, we take — NATO takes — we all take Article V literally,” Biden said when he met Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda at the start of the summit on Tuesday.
He said all members are committed to the mutual defense obligations of NATO’s charter. “We are united against whoever violated this space.” “We will defend every inch of it,” he said.
Jake Sullivan warned Tuesday that Vladimir Putin would be “disappointed” with the summit’s results.
President Biden’s top aide has slammed claims of disagreement over Washington’s decision to send controversial cluster bombs to Kiev’s armed forces.
Biden spent a few hours on the beach in Delaware with his family on Saturday
President Joe Biden pledged to defend “every inch” of NATO territory when he met with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda at the Presidential Palace on Tuesday at the start of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania
Biden opened the summit after a crucial breakthrough that grew the alliance to 32 members
Biden signed a book ahead of his meeting with the Lithuanian President
Biden emphasized the strength of the alliance. The US has about 1,000 troops deployed in Lithuania, which borders Russian ally Belarus
Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda (right) welcomes US President Joe Biden to the Presidential Palace before the NATO summit in Vilnius
Biden advisers say Vilnius shows alliance unity
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was among those raising concerns about the highly lethal weapons being shipped to the war-torn country.
But in a reply to , Sullivan dismissed claims that the 31-strong military coalition broke up because of his support for Ukraine’s military.
“I would say that the rumors about the demise of the NATO entity were greatly exaggerated,” he said. “Vladimir Putin expected the West to crumble, NATO to crumble, and the transatlantic alliance to crumble, and he was disappointed at every turn.”
The Russian tyrant will be “very disappointed” with the outcome of the two-day meeting in Lithuania, Sullivan added.
And in a clear sign that tensions were rising, Russian ambassador to the US Anatoly Antonov accused Washington of planning a “confrontation” with Moscow.
“Everything is being done to prepare domestic public opinion for approval of the anti-Russian decisions that will be taken in Vilnius in the coming days,” he said of the RIA news agency, a Kremlin mouthpiece.