The three-day NATO summit began with the pathetic figure of retiring Jens Stoltenberg giving his paeans to NATO’s survival and its bloated growth over these 75 years. He noted that it lasted longer than the Delian alliance of ancient Greece, which had been previously touted as the longest-lasting alliance (74 years). It is a curious and rather ominous reference, as the League of Delos lost its mission after 24 years, becoming an imperial joke, which led to some of the most prolonged and vicious infighting (amongst the Alliance members) known in history.
Stoltenberg also reiterated that Ukraine must win so that the world can go on. He was followed by President Biden, who was supported by his trusty teleprompter and was in his pompous shouting mode (perhaps on steroids). As such, he seemed to hold his own during his speech, reiterating the slogans that Ukraine must win and Putin must suffer defeat, to the admiring, but probably anxious crowd, wondering if he was going to make it through the performance. He claimed that Putin wanted to wipe Ukraine off the map, but “he won’t stop with that.” Biden assured the audience: “Make no mistake, Ukraine can and will stop Putin.” He also made the claim that Russia was losing in the war, a claim that most in the audience certainly realized was pure hyperbole.
He remarked that there were now 100,000 U.S. soldiers in Europe and there had been a tremendous increase in equipment and weapons. He said that the U.S. and its allies would send dozens of tanks, armored personnel carriers, air-defense systems, and long-range missiles to Ukraine. He also announced that the U.S. and its allies would now send tactical air defense systems to Ukraine. Biden also made it a point to call Stoltenberg back to the stage to award him the Presidential Medal of Freedom. The only uncertain moment was when Biden was fastening the medal around Stoltenberg’s neck, but he finally carried that off with flying colors.
