Washington DC [US], July 10: Joe Biden forcefully defended the foreign policy achievements of his presidency as he welcomed NATO member states to a Washington summit on Tuesday that is being closely watched by allies at home and abroad for proof the embattled U.S. president can still lead.
Biden, 81, has endured 12 days of withering questions about his fitness for office as some of his fellow Democrats on Capitol Hill and campaign donors fear that he will lose the Nov. 5 election after a halting debate performance on June 27.
"(Vladimir) Putin wants nothing less, nothing less, than Ukraine's total subjugation . and to wipe Ukraine off the map," Biden said, referring to the Russian president. "Ukraine can and will stop Putin."
The White House is hoping he can turn the page on speculation with his speech, in which he spoke with a strong and confident voice and avoided any verbal flubs or signs of confusion that marked his debate performance.
Biden has rebuffed calls to step aside in his race against Republican Donald Trump, 78, vowing to beat him in November. So far, he still has the support of most of his party's elite.
The U.S. president has made restoring traditional U.S. alliances abroad the centerpiece of his foreign policy after Trump challenged allies as part of an "America First" approach. The winner in November could have a substantial impact on the future of NATO, Europe and the rest of the world.
Trump has suggested that, given a second term, he would not defend NATO members if they came under military attack and did not meet the alliance's defense spending target of 2% of their respective GDP. He has also questioned the amount of aid given to Ukraine in its battle against Russia's invasion.
The centerpiece of the NATO summit was set to be new commitments of military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, as well as a bridge for that war-torn country to join the 32-member alliance.
Source: Fijian Broadcasting Corporation