Frederick Kempe, the President and CEO of the Atlantic Council, titled his latest article: “Putin, Xi, Orbán, and Modi Provide a Disturbing Backdrop to the Start of the NATO Summit.” Kempe paints a picture of the desperate situation facing NATO countries as their summit kicks off in Washington this week. Listing off the various developments, he includes Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s trips to Moscow and Beijing (leaving out that he started in Kyiv), Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Moscow ("both knew the significance of the timing of their visits” Kempe writes), and “U.S. President Joe Biden looking lost in his presidential debate, raising new concerns about what his health means for NATO’s future.”
Kempe goes on to criticize the U.S. and the West for not being stronger in their defense of Ukraine: “The United States has not yet fully freed up the Ukrainians to use the longer-range Army Tactical Missile Systems (ATACMS) that could hit the Russian sites from which deadly missiles are fired. NATO allies once again will likely put off a decision about when exactly Ukraine will join the Alliance, which is the only outcome that will provide the country the long-term security” its neighbors enjoy, he complains.