At next week’s NATO summit, President Joe Biden and other leaders will demonstrate their “unity and resolve in support of Ukraine” as that Eastern European country continues to respond to Russia’s invasion, Biden’s national-security adviser said Friday.
“We continue to stand with the people of Ukraine as they defend their sovereignty, their freedom and their democracy,” the adviser, Jake Sullivan, said during a White House press briefing ahead of the summit planned for Tuesday and Wednesday in Vilnius, Lithuania.
Biden is slated to deliver a speech Wednesday evening in Lithuania’s capital as the NATO summit wraps up, with Sullivan saying it will be a “significant address” about the president’s “vision of a strong, confident America — flanked by strong, confident allies and partners — taking on the significant challenges of our time, from Russia’s aggression in Ukraine to the climate crisis.”
Sullivan said Ukraine “will not be joining NATO coming out of this summit,” echoing what other officials have signaled. “Ukraine still has further steps it needs to take before membership,” the U.S. national-security adviser said.
On the issue of Sweden joining NATO, which has been held up by Turkey and Hungary, Sullivan said the Biden administration would “love to see it happen in Vilnius” and believes it “will happen in the not-too-distant future.”
Related: Swedish prime minister meets with Biden at White House as Nordic country presses NATO case
Sullivan also addressed the detention of Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich, who has been in Russian custody for 100 days. When asked about Russia being open to possible talks on prisoner swaps, the national-security adviser said discussions with the Kremlin “have not produced a clear pathway to a resolution.”
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