President Joe Biden passed on dinner with the 31-strong members of NATO because he has spent ‘countless hours’ meeting with world leaders, his national security advisor said.
Biden, 80, who often touts his long career on the world stage, elected to skip the dinner Tuesday night on a day NATO was celebrating its expansion to include Sweden as it swells to deter Russian aggression.
Instead, after arriving in the country Monday night, he turned in early Tuesday after holding a series of events including a sit-down with the Turkish president.
It is a prerogative he has exercised at other summit events, where he often pops in the night before and jets out as soon as the event ends.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan got asked about Biden’s absence during an appearance on CNN from Vilnius, after an official explained his reasons for skipping in advance, as covered by DailyMail.com
Biden skipped a social dinner at the NATO summit, although Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky (C-L) and his wife Olena Zelenska talk with French President Emmanuel Macron did attend
‘Well, President Biden has spent i mean, literally countless hours with NATO leaders over the course of the period since this war began – multiple NATO summits, including a whole day yesterday, including a whole day today,’ he said.
‘So last night, he wasn’t the only leader who wasn’t there,’ he said, without identifying the other leader who stayed home.
‘But last night, he thought he didn’t have to attend and that he would have every opportunity to sit with all of his colleagues at length on all of the significant issues of our time and not just to sit with them, but frankly, to lead,’ he said.
Then, Sullivan pivoted to his message about how Biden had driven the ‘unity, the purpose, the forcefulness of this alliance’ since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
‘So his ability to galvanize and persuade and organize the entire alliance to a point where it is more unified and more determined and more decisive than at any point in NATO’s history,’ he said – although that galvanizing didn’t happen over a multi-course meal in the Lithuanian capital.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan pointed to an unidentified leader besides Biden who didn’t attend the dinner
French President Emmanuel Macron (R) and his wife Brigitte Macron were among those who made a night of the summit on Tuesday
Moules-frite diplomacy: President of the European Council Charles Michel (R) of Belgium and his wife Amelie Derbaudrenghien Michel (2nd R) attended the dinner, as did Gitanas Nauseda (2nd R) and his wife, Diana Nausediene (
Other leaders opted to mug for the cameras on a red carpet. It was still bright out as they did, although the sun didn’t go down until near 10 pm in Vilnius in mid-July.
Biden kept busy during the day Wednesday, meeting with Ukrainian President Zelensky with a big speech planned in the evening.
It wasn’t known what was on the menu, although in 2022 celebrity chef Jose Andres prepared a feast for the NATO gathering in Madrid.
Biden had hours earlier has raised eyebrows after skipping dinner with NATO leaders on Tuesday night and instead heading straight to his luxury Kempinski hotel.
A US official blamed the 80-year-old president’s busy schedule over four days and said he’s preparing for a ‘big speech’ on Wednesday when asked why he wasn’t attending.
Biden, who has only been in Europe since Sunday night and went to the beach on Saturday, had Secretary of State Antony Blinken attend instead.
The president’s snub came after he told Turkish President Recep Erdogan he would win re-election – and would be working with him for the next five years.
Despite mounting concerns about his health and age, he was confident about his chances in 2024. Biden would be 86 by the end of his second term.
President Joe Biden skipped dinner with NATO leaders on Tuesday night and instead headed straight to his hotel in Lithuania after meeting with Turkey’s President Erdogan
The White House later revealed that Biden made a string of phone calls when he returned to his accommodation to address the severe flooding in Vermont.
He spoke with Vermont Governor Phil Scott, Senator Bernie Sanders, and FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell about ‘his commitment to deliver federal assistance needed to help respond to severe flooding,’ a US official said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and his wife Olena led the dignitaries on the first night of the summit in Vilnius.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte were also in attendance alongside British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Earlier on Tuesday, Erdogan thanked the US president for congratulating him after his own election – which went to a runoff that had some officials contemplating a less strenuous relationship with Turkey, after it used its strategic position to maintain ties with Russia.
‘Thank you. I look forward to being with you in the next five years, Mr. President,’ Biden said.
Erdogan had called his meeting with Biden a ‘step forward,’ and made reference to his own five-year term.
‘And with the forthcoming elections, I would like to take this opportunity to also wish you the best of luck,’ said Erdogan.
Donald Trump regularly attested to his bond with Erdogan when he was in the White House.
‘He’s a friend of mine, and I’m glad we didn’t have a problem because, frankly, he’s a hell of a leader, and he’s a tough man, he’s a strong man,’ Trump said in 2019.
Biden and top advisors were silent as reporters shouted questions following his meeting with Erdogan. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken, U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin and U.S White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan look on during a bilateral meeting
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his wife Olena Zelenska attended the dinner with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda and his wife Diana Nausediene
The Turkish strongman was speaking on a day when he achieved a key objective while dropping his opposition to admitting Sweden – namely getting F-16 fighter aircraft from the U.S.
National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan told reporters in Vilnius Thursday Biden had previously ‘been clear that he supports the transfer’ of the jets.
‘He has placed no caveats on this … He intends to move forward with that transfer,’ he said.
Officials have been vague about additional details, and noted that the Greeks took part in a final meeting on the subject. Biden himself mentioned the jets in the context of bringing in Sweden in a recent CNN interview before heading to London for the start of his trip.
Biden was tight-lipped following his comments, barely flinching as U.S. reporters hurled a series of questions to him about the contours of the deal that will bring in Sweden, on Russia’s eastern flank.
He kept his lips pursed as aides signaled the press event was over and escorted media members out of the room where they were meeting.
Senate Majority Whip Richard Durbin, a Biden ally, talked up the diplomatic breakthrough in Vilnius, telling DailyMail.com there was a ‘serious question’ when Biden got sworn in about whether the alliance was viable after Trump.
Durbin said an alliance that was ‘faltering’ was now a ‘strong, viable, credible operation’ with Finland a member and Sweden seeking to join.
Asked if Biden was bringing something home, he responded: ‘He certainly is. It’s significant. It’s historic.’
Earlier, Biden vowed to defend ‘every inch’ of NATO territory, as the powerful alliance took a key step to adding its 32nd member.
The president spoke in the capital Vilnius at the start of the summit as his national security advisor Jake Sullivan said talk of splits over support for Ukraine have been ‘greatly exaggerated.’
‘As I’ve said before, we take – NATO takes – all of us take Article V literally,’ Biden said as he met Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda at the start of the summit Tuesday.
He said all members were committed to the NATO Charter’s mutual defense obligations. ‘We’re together against whoever was violating that space. We’re going to defend every inch of it,’ he said.
Jake Sullivan on Tuesday warned that Vladimir Putin will be ‘disappointed’ by what emerges from the summit.
The top aide to President Biden hit out at claims that divisions had erupted over Washington’s decision to send controversial cluster bombs to Kyiv’s armed forces.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife Brigitte were also in attendance with Ukraine’s first couple
President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen (front), British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak (left second row) and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau (right second row) lead the dignitaries into the dinner on Tuesday night
Biden spent a few hours at the beach with his family in Delaware on Saturday
President Joe Biden vowed to defend ‘every inch’ of NATO territory as he met with Lithuanian President Gitanas Nauseda at the Presidential Palace at the start of the NATO summit in Vilnius, Lithuania Tuesday
Biden kicked off the summit after a key breakthrough that would grow the alliance to 32 members
Biden signed a book before his meeting with the Lithuanian president
Biden touted the strength of the alliance. The U.S. has about 1,000 troops serving in Lithuania, which border’s Russian ally Belarus
Lithuania’s President Gitanas Nauseda, right, welcomes U.S. President Joe Biden at the Presidential Palace prior the NATO summit in Vilnius
Biden advisors say unity of the alliance is on display in Vilnius
British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak had been among a chorus of voices who raised concerns about shipping the highly lethal arms to the war-torn country.
But in a response to DailyMail.com, Sullivan dismissed claims that the 31-nation military alliance was fractured over its backing of the Ukrainian military.
‘I would say rumors of the death of NATO’s unity were greatly exaggerated,’ he said. ‘Vladimir Putin has been counting on the West to crack, NATO to crack and the transatlantic alliance to crack and he has been disappointed with every turn.’
The Russian tyrant will be ‘very much disappointed’ by what emerges from the two-day meeting in Lithuania, Sullivan added.
And in a clear sign that tensions were on the rise, Russian ambassador to the U.S. Anatoly Antonov accused Washington of plotting ‘confrontation’ with Moscow.
‘Everything is being done to prepare domestic public opinion for the approval of the anti-Russian decisions that will be made in Vilnius in the coming days,’ he was quoted as saying by the RIA news agency, a Kremlin mouthpiece.
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk