And this year’s NATO gathering opened doors on Tuesday in Washington D.C. with Ukraine looking to dominate the main discussion among leaders this year as well.
Lee Seung-jae has more.
With Russia’s deadly airstrike on a children’s hospital in Kyiv on Monday still fresh in their minds, U.S. President Joe Biden welcomed members of the largest military alliance in the world to the U.S. capital.
The three-day NATO Summit that started on Tuesday is all the more significant, as the military alliance celebrates its 75th anniversary this year.
Kicking off the summit, was a roundtable discussion on women, peace, and security.
Later in the afternoon, NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg made a speech, along with President Biden, who looked back on NATO’s history, and the current role of the military alliance.
However, the prolonged war in Ukraine is expected to be the main agenda item at this year’s summit, as Ukraine looks to regain momentum for support.
The U.S. has passed five different bills since the start of the Ukraine war, pledging 175 billion U.S. dollars, including most recently in April, over 61 billion dollars.
NATO member countries have also pledged to maintain annual military support of around 43 billion dollars.
However,.. with former U.S. President Donald Trump’s chances of returning to the Oval Office on the rise, it leaves some question marks over whether the U.S. contribution will continue after January 2025.
At the same time,.. the summit itself may be the final test for President Biden’s capability as not just a U.S. leader, but also a world leader, who’s been at the forefront of several global conflicts during his four years, as the November presidential election is mere months away.
Meanwhile, President Yoon Suk Yeol is expected to hold ten bilateral summits on the sidelines of the NATO Summit, including a four-way meeting with three other Indo-Pacific nations.
Yoon will express concerns over deepening ties between North Korea and Russia,.. while looking to cooperate with NATO members and Indo-Pacific partners in the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Lee Seung-jae, Arirang News.
Source : Arirang TV, https://www.arirang.com/news/view?id=273094
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