NATO promises long-term military aid to Ukraine but no timeline for membership

Geoff Bennett:

Welcome to the "NewsHour."

President Biden is in Finland tonight after an eventful two-day NATO summit in nearby Lithuania.

Amna Nawaz:

Finland is the newest member of the transatlantic alliance, and Mr. Biden will celebrate that tomorrow.

But there was still much to do on this second day of the NATO summit, as the alliance expands in the face of Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine.

Our Laura Barrón-López was there.

Joe Biden, President of the United States: We're not going anywhere.

(Laughter)

Joe Biden:

You're stuck with us.

Laura Barrón-López:

A warm moment between wartime partners after a tense 24 hours.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President:

Thank you very much to all these days you are with us, I mean, you, and Americans.

Laura Barrón-López:

President Joe Biden for the first time publicly hinted that Ukraine's NATO membership could come sooner than previously thought

Joe Biden:

I hope we finally have put to bed the notion about whether or not Ukraine is welcome in NATO. It's going to happen. We're moving — all moving in the right direction. I think it's just a matter of getting by the next few months here.

Laura Barrón-López:

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived for summit meetings with a softer tone and clear-eyed that membership in the midst of war was off the table.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy:

What we hear and understand that we will have this invitation when security measures will allow.

Laura Barrón-López:

He did secure commitments from the U.S. and other Group of 7 leaders that look ahead. A joint declaration pledged long-term security assistance designed to help Ukraine defend itself against future attacks.

Joe Biden:

We're going to help Ukraine build a strong, capable defense across land, air and sea. It will be a force of stability in the region and deter against any and all threats.

Laura Barrón-López:

That announcement helped cool tensions from yesterday, when Zelenskyy called the absence of a clear timeline for Ukraine to join NATO absurd.

But, today, Zelenskyy greeted NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg with a hug, the two agreeing the summit sent a clear signal.

Jens Stolenberg, NATO Secretary-General:

Today, we meet as equals. I look forward to the day we meet as allies.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy (through translator):

I'm confident, after the war, Ukraine will be in NATO.

Jens Stolenberg:

This is truly a historic moment

Laura Barrón-López:

And they gathered for the inaugural meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council.

Jens Stolenberg:

Volodymyr, it's great to have you here.

Laura Barrón-López:

A new panel designed to grant Zelenskyy more power in some NATO decisions.

But the war is in its 504th day, its toll on Ukrainians evident in Zelenskyy's persuasion campaign for weapons. He praised President Biden for the decision to send cluster munitions to the front lines.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy:

(through translator): And this is about justice: We defend ourselves. We're defending ourselves without using appropriate weapons on the territory of other states. As for the rest of the aid, we need long-range weapons. This deficit hasn't gone away. And I will raise this question.

Laura Barrón-López:

While Ukraine dominated the agenda in Vilnius, the alliance also took steps to fortify its own members' borders.

Jens Stolenberg:

Our security is interconnected

Laura Barrón-López:

For the first time since the Cold War, they approved new defense plans in case of an attack on NATO territory. They reinforced a 2 percent of GDP defense spending minimum. So far, just seven of the 31 member countries hit that target.

They also hosted Indo-Pacific leaders to deepen global ties against other adversaries, including China, and saw a deal struck for Sweden's NATO membership, though Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said today his country will not immediately vote on it.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkish President (through translator):

Now we have a two-month parliamentary vacation. Our goal is to finish this job as soon as possible.

Joe Biden:

Hello, Lithuania.

(Cheers and Applause)

Laura Barrón-López:

In a post-summit speech, President Biden celebrated NATO's unity in downtown Vilnius.

Joe Biden:

Strong alliances, versatile partnerships, common purpose, collective action to meet our shared challenges.

Laura Barrón-López:

Continuing the victory lap for NATO's expansion, President Biden travels to Finland tomorrow, his first presidential visit to the newest member of the NATO alliance.

Moments before boarding Air Force One to Helsinki, President Biden said that — President Biden said that they accomplished every goal that they needed to at the summit and that Ukraine now understands that it's more important for them to get military aid than to be concerned about the timeline for their NATO membership — Amna.

Anma Nawaz:

Laura, that NATO summit began with a tense 24 hours between Presidents Biden and Zelenskyy. That seems to have since shifted, but what's the status of the relationship between the two leaders post-summit?

Laura Barrón-López:

That's right, Amna.

President Zelenskyy went from calling it absurd that there was no clear timeline for them to join NATO, also said that it was a sign of weakness that would encourage Russian aggression. He said that on Tuesday, and then about 24 hours later, sitting alongside President Biden, praised the president, as well as Americans.

And President Biden also welcomed that praise and said that they were standing by Ukraine. I spoke to Jake Sullivan today, Amna, about all this, and he said that, look, President Zelenskyy had the right to voice some frustration and to say that they wanted immediate NATO membership, but that, ultimately, it has to be agreed upon by all the 31 members of NATO.

Amna Nawaz:

Laura, tell us more about the next steps now for delivering assistance to Ukraine.

What is the White House doing to help guarantee that assistance both in the short term and the long term?

Laura Barrón-López:

In the near term, Amna, it's going to be those cluster — cluster munitions that we have reported on and that Zelenskyy was — also said are something that is very important to Ukraine to have right now.

But President Biden again, right before he boarded Air Force One, said that he was open to potentially sending long-range missiles. That's something that President Zelenskyy has repeatedly asked the U.S. for. And he asked again at the summit, said that he was going to bring that up with President Biden in their one-on-one.

And so it was significant that the president appeared to float that as an option. Now, all of this, Amna, is with an eye towards the 75th summit, annual summit, next year in Washington, D.C., where the NATO members will be checking in on Ukraine's status on reforms.

But in the time between now and that next summit, they committed to Ukraine that they were going to give them more security assistance on intelligence-sharing, on military aid, and on another — other host of aid, Amna.

Amna Nawaz:

That is our White House correspondent, Laura Barron Lopez, reporting live from Helsinki, Finland, tonight.

Laura, thank you. Good to see you.