NATO summit starts with Ukraine seeking path to join alliance

Amna Nawaz:

Now to our other lead story.

The NATO leadership summit began today with President Biden and allies meeting to discuss Ukraine's security, new defense plans and a recommitment to unity against Russian aggression.

Laura Barrón-López begins our coverage from the summit site in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Laura Barrón-López:

A show of force to open the 74th NATO summit, with the alliance created to defend against Russian aggression agreeing to welcome its 32nd member, Sweden.

Joe Biden, President of the United States: President Putin thinks the way he succeeds is to break NATO. He's not going to do that.

Laura Barrón-López:

But unity inside NATO's doors met a call for action outside, where President Volodymyr Zelenskyy delivered a passionate case for Ukraine's entry into the alliance and for stronger security commitments to support the war.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Ukrainian President (through translator):

NATO will give Ukraine security. Ukraine will make the alliance stronger.

Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary-General:

Allies have agreed a package of three elements to bring Ukraine closer to NATO.

Laura Barrón-López:

NATO's offering fell short of Zelenskyy's demands.

The new communique calls for multiyear military and security assistance for the country, a louder voice in NATO via a new NATO-Ukraine council, and an intention to invite Ukraine to join NATO when the country meets the alliance's conditions.

President Biden endorsed the package.

Joe Biden:

And we agree on the language that we have proposed, that you have proposed, relative to the future of Ukraine being able to join NATO. And we're looking for a continued united NATO.

Laura Barrón-López:

But earlier on Tuesday, Zelenskyy vented frustration Twitter, writing: "It's unprecedented and absurd when a time frame is not set neither for the invitation to NATO nor for Ukraine's membership, while at the same time vague wording about conditions is added. For Russia, this means motivation to continue its terror."

Jens Stoltenberg:

There has never been a stronger message from NATO at any time, both when it comes to political message on the path forward for membership, and the concrete support from NATO allies, military support, but also the practical support.

Laura Barrón-López:

But, once in Vilnius, Zelenskyy balanced disappointment with trust in the alliance.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy (through translator):

Today, I started my journey with faith in solutions, with faith in strong partners, with faith in NATO.

Laura Barrón-López:

Those rifts, present throughout the war, flared up after an 11th-hour deal paved the way for Sweden to join NATO, with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan dropping his objections.

President Biden met with Erdogan today after announcing the U.S. would move ahead to transfer F-16 fighter jets to Turkey, a long-awaited victory for Taiwan that White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said was not offered in exchange for Swedish membership.

Jake Sullivan, U.S. National Security Adviser:

This is in our national interest, it's in the interest of NATO that Turkey get that capability. He has placed no caveats or conditions on that.

Laura Barrón-López:

It takes congressional approval, something Democratic Senator Jeanne Shaheen, who co-led a bipartisan delegation to Vilnius, said is on the table.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH):

We can see something move forward when we see the ratification.

Laura Barrón-López:

All the while, the war in Ukraine goes on. Overnight, Russian forces attacks Kyiv and Odessa in drone strikes, where Ukrainian forces struck down 26 of the 28 drones.

But one month into the Ukrainian counteroffensive, efforts to regain territory from Russia move slower than expected, and artillery is running low. Back in Vilnius, Ukraine welcomed a commitment by 11 allied countries to provide fighter jet training, and France announced it would send long-range missiles to the Ukrainian forces.

Emmanuel Macron, French President (through translator):

We have decided to deliver new deep-strike missiles to Ukraine. They will therefore be deployed in accordance with the commitments we have made with them.

Laura Barrón-López:

Ukraine has an ally in the summit's host city, where thousands of blue and yellow flags line the streets, an unmistakable signal of support for President Zelenskyy, who will meet with President Biden and NATO leaders tomorrow once again to press his case.

Many at the summit are watching that meeting closely tomorrow between President Biden and President Zelenskyy, especially as President Biden has refused to back off his position that the conflict must be over before Ukraine can gain full membership to NATO.

Amna Nawaz:

Laura, there's so much to talk about here, but let's start with that deal that Turkey is now allowing Sweden to potentially become the 32nd NATO member.

What do we know about how that deal came together?

Laura Barrón-López:

Amna, today, National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan spoke to us reporters ahead of the first day, saying there were extensive conversations in the days leading up to this summit between the United States, Turkey and Sweden, and that the White House repeatedly pressed Turkey to grant that accession for Sweden as quickly as possible.

Also, as a part of this, Amna, I was told by a number of senators today who were here on a bipartisan CODEL at the summit that they were pleased that they heard that Greece was involved in those conversations. And they were happy about that because of the fact that Greece had some reservations about these F-16s being transferred over to Turkey and potentially being used in their maritime border dispute.

Amna Nawaz:

So, Laura, NATO issued its communique on the status of Ukraine's membership today.

Is that any different than what's been promised in the past by the alliance?

Laura Barrón-López:

So one former ambassador that I spoke to today, Amna, singled out a specific line where, in the communique, it said that Ukraine's future is in NATO.

And they said that that's stronger language that then they have seen in the past. That being said, a number of other sources that I spoke to here at the summit said that they were disappointed with what that communique laid out in terms of Ukraine's membership, the fact that it stipulated unspecified conditions that will be applied to Ukraine, despite the fact that the Membership Action Plan requirement, which would require countries seeking membership to NATO to make military and democracy reforms, that requirement was waived for Ukraine.

But yet these unspecified conditions were applied. They called it disappointing, puzzling and potentially a step backward.

Amna Nawaz:

So, Laura, when it comes to Ukraine's potential membership in NATO, what are some of the key outstanding issues? What are you tracking?

Laura Barrón-López:

Amna, at the end of the day, what did not happen for Ukraine was a clear pathway established for when and how they will become a NATO member.

Essentially, what is happening is that they're — the core problem has not been addressed, Amna. And that core problem applies to the fact that, what does at war mean? And when is the exact moment that Ukraine can become a member?

Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser, was asked about this specifically today by reporters, what at war means and when the White House would consider that conflict to be at its end and then acceptable for Ukraine to join NATO. And he said that he would not define that at all.

And so that was some frustration that I heard from sources as they saw what came out of the summit today.

Amna Nawaz:

That is Laura Barrón-López reporting for us from the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania.

Laura, thank you. Good to see you.

Laura Barrón-López:

Thank you.